Direct Entry MSN programs

RegularNurse · Jun 3, 2016

The info you are looking for is easily available on each of the schools' admissions websites.

I will give you some candid advice.

Unless you are going into an NP or CRNA program, direct entry MSN programs will not help you with entry level employment and will not increase your pay at the overwhelming majority of hospitals. If you do want an advanced clinical position, you are doing the right thing. I personally don't believe bedside RN experience is necessary to be an APRN.

Expensive private schools are not viewed as superior to state schools in the nursing field. I caution you to spend a lot of money on this. Try to find state schools that offer these programs and save yourself tens of thousands of dollars.

Best of luck going forward with your new career!

Grumble88 · Jun 3, 2016

Get straight A's in the prereqs, it's easy to do at a community college level, one or maybe two B's won't disqualify you, but aim for all A's. For expected GPA and GRE scores, contact individual schools and they'll be happy to share that information with you.

Sami92 · Jun 3, 2016

Thanks for your input! I do intend to become an NP (PMHNP). I hope to receive all As in the prerequisites as I have done in the past in science courses however due to a tough freshman and sophomore year my cumulative GPA from undergrad is 3.3. I do have 3 years of clinical psych research experience post college and 159Q 165V GRE scores so I am hoping that I will still be competitive at the schools I previously mentioned!

Grumble88 · Jun 3, 2016

If it makes you feel better I know the UT Austin program only considers your upper-division gpa, not cumulative gpa from undergrad. I would assume some others schools also follow this practice.

Sami92 · Jun 6, 2016

Thanks Grumble88! Is anyone else familiar with the admissions process at these schools? When I called to ask about the average accepted GPA and GRE most of them just told me their minimums but I would like to know what makes someone competitive.

itiswell · Jun 10, 2016

Most of these schools will have a page or a PDF on their website where you can view all their admission statistics. Such as # applied vs. admitted, average GPA, race/ethnicity, etc. Sometimes you have to dig for it.

I would think most of these schools would have an average GPA of around 3.7-3.8. That being said, make sure you get A's in all your pre-reqs. I do not think a 3.3 is competitive. If you get A's you should be able to raise your GPA a bit. Otherwise, it sounds like you have good background and history.

verene, MSN · Jun 10, 2016

I looked at a couple of these programs during my own school searching and application writing: Seattle U cares a lot about your last 90 credits of undergrad for GPA and weights this very heavily in their admissions criteria. Subsequent coursework is given little to no weight in GPA calculation. They really care a lot about your reasoning for pursuing your chosen NP field and want you to tie that reasoning in to the school's mission and focus on social justice.

OHSU looks for minimum undergrad GPA but weights pre-req GPA much higher. A strong essay and letters of recommendation also carry weight. They seem a little more holistic than some of the other programs and really want students who are going to be willing to work inter-collaboratively with other professions. They also like to see students with interest in rural practice.

Both of the above programs have the minimum GRE score on their websites. I think it was 300 total with at least 150 in each category but don't remember for sure. Minimum score of 4 on the writing section.

UPENN I think was more like OHSU in holistic approach and a more equal weighting between undergrad GPA and pre-reqs. Seemed pretty research focused. Strong weight given to letters of recommendation and essays as well. I think. They have an earlier deadline than some of the other programs (Early October) so plan accordingly.

UCSF is the earliest deadline program (Aug 1? Sept 1?) which dropped them out of my list of serious consideration. So if you are trying to apply this fall get working on their app criteria first.

I ended up not being impressed with Yale's PMHNP program, though admittedly most of the information I found on it was circa 2010-2011. Student reviews seemed to have a lot of complaints about disorganization and poor communication. Perhaps the program is better run now, or perhaps I just found reviews from students who hadn't done well and liked to gripe.

All of the programs are extremely competitive and for many of the specialty tracks may only be letting in 12 or fewer students per admissions cycle. So know this going in, and really learn about each program, what they are looking for, and how you can sell yourself as the perfect applicant for their program. I'd also recommend applying to a BSN or ABSN program or two as back-ups just to get started on your nursing journey even if you don't get in to a direct-entry program.

Also make a cheat sheet with the requirements for each program they are NOT all the same! And deadlines and start dates vary quite a bit between schools so you'll really want to stay on top of things.

I took pre-reqs part-time while working and did well in them. They are more affordable at a community college than at a university if you have the option. Also consider doing some coursework online (non-science) or hybrid (science) course format if working as it gives you a little more flexibility.