Accelerated Masters Program for NICU

Maybe you should apply to DO college

Also the VA Hospitals would hire you in research, just a Thought.

If you really want to be a ARNP and work in NICU go for it. You have the proven your talents already. GB

Go to the Degree area section Blog, there a

Accelerated MSN Blog there that will help you!

Actually, to be honest, you can't become an NNP (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner) without having at least a year (or two?) of Level III NICU experience. The programs won't accept you. So I'd advise you to get your RN, work for two-five years, and apply then. :heartbeat Best of luck!

Find out more about these programs. It sounds like a degree that educates you as a neonatal nurse practitioner. They will work for you if they are direct entry programs that allow you to get a nursing degree and then work as a nurse in the NICU while you finish the master's/neonatal nurse practitioner portion. Like a previous poster said, you need experience to qualify for any neonatal nurse practitioner program unless it is structured such that you get some bedside experience along the way.

Maybe these aren't programs for neonatal nurse practitioners. Is this a master's in nursing with a clinical specialty focus? Is it designed for people who have a previous degree but not in nursing?

Your grades sound good for applying considering the rigor of your coursework. These schools don't need your MCAT scores, and telling them about these scores may make them wonder why you are switching courses at this point. They could be suspicious that nursing was a back-up option for someone who couldn't get into medical school. I'm not saying that is the case, but advertising your previous plans might not be beneficial to your application. Volunteering and research could be helpful in your application...it just depends on the criteria these programs use. The should have some published data about the criteria they use and the typical students they accept. Ask them!

You've shadowed lots of doctors. Have you shadowed a nurse? Just curious. It would be worth the time as you change directions. :)

I know this is off the topic of the original post, but does anyone know what the work experience requirement is for becoming a pediatric nurse practioner?

Tap, I live in the area, they are two of the most competitive programs in the state, and east for MGH. You need two full years of experience in the NICU to apply for the NICU program. The only problem is that this market is completely saturated. There hasn't been a NICU opening for a new grad in over two years, and nothing externally whatsoever. Your best bet would be Northeastern because they have job placement assistance and co-ops, but you would have to do the 5 year plan, which is very expensive. NNP jobs are very rare in this area and you'd be competing against hundreds of applicants for less than 1 spot. I'm sorry to be a downer, but MA couldn't be a worse place to try to establish a career right now. There are new grads from 2007 who still don't have jobs and experienced nurses of 10+ years who are forced to relocate because they can't find jobs. It's very sad.

Tap, I live in the area, they are two of the most competitive programs in the state, and east for MGH. You need two full years of experience in the NICU to apply for the NICU program. The only problem is that this market is completely saturated. There hasn't been a NICU opening for a new grad in over two years, and nothing externally whatsoever. Your best bet would be Northeastern because they have job placement assistance and co-ops, but you would have to do the 5 year plan, which is very expensive. NNP jobs are very rare in this area and you'd be competing against hundreds of applicants for less than 1 spot. I'm sorry to be a downer, but MA couldn't be a worse place to try to establish a career right now. There are new grads from 2007 who still don't have jobs and experienced nurses of 10+ years who are forced to relocate because they can't find jobs. It's very sad.

Taking into consideration what SarahBeth has said about the job market in NICU, perhaps you would be well-served by an entry level master's degree that would prepare you to be a nurse generalist or clinical nurse leader. There are also some entry level master's programs that would prepare you to be an adult or family nurse practitioner. Because you have two science-related bachelor's degrees, you sound like an excellent candidate for an entry level master's program.

You sound like a very talented, intelligent person who would be a tremendous asset to the nursing profession. I think the biggest challenge you have facing you in the application process is articulating why you decided upon nursing rather than medicine and how you envision your career as a nurse. Do you see yourself working at the bedside in NICU? Do you see yourself as an independent practitioner or part of a group practice of physicians and advanced practice nurses? Do you eventually see yourself wanting to get into nursing research? Can you envision yourself someday getting a PhD and doing research into neonatal nursing?

It can be a frustrating, bewildering process to try to get into a nursing program. If you peruse the threads here, you will find that pretty much every program at every level seems to have its own standards. For example, in some programs, the stated qualifications for admission might be an undergraduate GPA of 2.5 but, because of a high pool of candidates who meet that minimal qualification, the actual GPA of students admitted might be closer to 3.7 or even 4.0. There may or may not be admissions exams. I think most entry level MSN programs require personal interviews and an essay stating the student's goals. Many master's programs that are geared toward those who have completed entry level programs require at least a year of experience; others do not. Some entry level MSN programs permit one to take the NCLEX before graduating and thus one can work part time as an RN while completing the graduate level courses in the program. You may need to look around to find the program that best suits your needs and it may or may not be one of the programs you are already considering.

Yes, it is competitive to get into most programs (regardless of the educational level) and the job market is tough right now. It may continue to be tough in certain specialties for some time. But if you can distinguish yourself from the rest of the candidates and bring something different and unique to nursing---and it sounds like you can---I think you have every chance of succeeding in whatever you choose to do.

Thank you so much guys. I really appreciate it.

Thank you so much guys. I really appreciate it.

Also see Vicki RN a staff members Post

they are excellant!