UVM MEPN 2011

U.S.A. Vermont

Published

Anyone other MEPN applicants on here? I applied for fall '11 entry and was recently told the program coordinators were trying to decide whether to do interviews this year or not and it was still up in the air. Also was told decisions should be in early February, like last year.

Specializes in Transplant & HPB Surgery, Heme/Onc, LTC.

I got the same email and wrote back asking about interviews. This is the reply I got:

"Phone interviews may or may not be required. I'm sorry I don't have a more definitive answer for you. The Dept will decide when they meet next week.

Phone interviews were held last year - but depending on the pool of applicants, they may or may not be necessary."

Guess we're right where we started!

Hi all,

I also got the same email. Glad you asked about interviews - I was wondering the exact same thing. If anyone is interviewed, please post about it! I've been looking at the online posts from the last few years and it sounds like it went the same - interviews were up in the air, the office said they might or might not happen, but most of the folks who were admitted received interviews. I guess we'll see what happens! We should be finding out in about two weeks...

Did everyone get the email today in reference to the PMH track? As I didn't apply for that track, it doesn't affect me per se, but the first question that came to me was how this will translate (if at all) to the size of the FNP/ANP class. It sounds like anyone who was PMH who still wants to go to UVM will have to go ANP. I am guessing this means they will allocate the former PMH seats to ANP but FNP will not see any increase in available seats as a result of this.

This email also begs the question, will UVM have a direct entry DNP similar to the MEPN. They mentioned transitioning to DNP but not a word about whether there will be a direct entry DNP for non-RN's. I wonder if they'll go the way of UNH next year and convert the direct entry NP to direct entry CNL since that is a lot easier than a direct entry DNP.

Specializes in Transplant & HPB Surgery, Heme/Onc, LTC.

I got that email as well. I wondered how many PMH applicants will switch to ANP knowing they'll have to do the post masters cert after the ANP track vs. how many will cancel their apps and go elsewhere? What's left will probably determine how they reallocate those seats. Looks like the PMHers have until next Tuesday to state their intent.

Every time I see an email from UVM my stomach flips. Once Feb. 1 hits I'm going to go crazy until the mail arrives each day.

I know exactly what you mean. With both the email we got last week and today's email, each time I saw something from UVM I hoped it was an interview request. Given that it appears (from previous postings) most of last year's interviews were in mid January, I think they might really skip the interviews this year since it is now January 19th and I haven't heard of anyone getting an interview yet.

Normally when a school forgoes interviews that is because it has a small application pool; interviews in the past have typically been done to separate the good candidates from the great candidates. Then again, on the flip side, one could argue that the applicant pool is so good this year they have no reason to interview anyone because everything is already clear to the adcom.

Specializes in Transplant & HPB Surgery, Heme/Onc, LTC.

I'd be happy skipping the interview and going straight to the acceptance letter! If only we had a crystal ball...

I have also applied for this year, and am waaaaiting. :) However, I declared the PMH track and am in a quandry. All of my backround is in mental health with practically no medical experience. I am rather discouraged now to say the least. My big issue, besides the required post-masters work for PMH, is that my second choice was FNP. And I have four days to decide. Sigh.

My advice to you is to either go the ANP track and follow with the mental health certificate (as this is the instructed way to do it if you want to go to UVM), or go to another school that still has a dedicated PMH track. I guess it comes down to how badly do you want to go to UVM versus a dedicated PMH program? Unfortunately you now can no longer have both of these.. If you're a Vermonter, like most of us, and UVM is pretty much your only choice, then why not just go APN and get the certificate? Look at it this way - getting APN with a post masters certificate will make you even more qualified now than if you were to just get a PMH focused degree.

A Vermonter I am. I would really miss the in-state tuition, not to mention that I have found it impossible to leave. Anyway, vls09, your point of view makes tons of sense to me, especially given the fact that nursing is more attractive to me than other health professions because of the flexibility. Being over certified would definitely keep more doors open. Thanks. I just worry that I would not look qualified, though given that they pulled the rug out from under us NOW, they must take this all into consideration.

I understand - it reminds me of the concern I have that my EMT and volunteer ER experience doesn't qualify me enough for the FNP track.. My thoughts are:

1. They definitely wouldn't offer you to switch to the ANP track if they weren't going to take into consideration the fact that people in your shoes are skewed towards mental health experience as opposed to the normal ANP background (which is more similar to FNP in that it is a lot of folks who are EMT's, CNA's, LNA's, etc).

2. My bet is that those who originally applied for the PMH track who request to move to the ANP track will be considered separately from the regular ANP applicants and your experience/background standards will be different, i.e., they will judge your applications from the standard of a PMH applicant.

So, really when you look at it, you come out on top of all of the rest of us because you'll be double qualified; you will be able to work as an ANP or as a mental health NP.

Decisions have already started going out... I'm out of town and won't be home until mid-week, but I just heard from someone who found out at the end of last week that they got into the MEPN program. Has anyone else heard? Not sure how it is being done - whether all decisions are being mailed at once or whether it is on a rolling basis.

Either way, if you haven't heard yet, you should soon - good luck to everyone!

Specializes in Transplant & HPB Surgery, Heme/Onc, LTC.

Let the stomach butterflies begin! Good luck to everyone!

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