Accepted to UCLA MECN 2011 Program?

Nadianana:

It would vary by individual but this provides a quick idea of about how much you'll be spending: http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees/nursefee.htm

Out of curiosity, is anyone coming from the Orange County area? If so, are you planning to commute or move closer to UCLA?

Hello everyone!!! I am so excited to meet everyone and begin this journey with all of you!

Hello ADEcstatic!

I live in the West Covina area and will be commuting to school. My husband and I cannot afford to move closer.

How about yourself? What are your plans?

Hello ExtremelyThankful!

I will attempt to commute as well. I live in Buena Park so my commute will be almost an hour without traffic. Yikes. I'm so not looking forward to it but like you, I can't afford to move closer. I started looking for places to rent around UCLA and they're all pretty pricey. We'll see. So much depends on me getting a reasonable amount of financial aid. =/

Congratulations on being accepted! Are you taking the Epi class in the summer as well?

Thank you ADEcstatic!

Congratulations to you as well and everyone who got accepted! Unfortunately, I will not be taking the Epi. class, because I already took an epidemiology class. I would've loved to get to know everyone over the summer.

Hey - has anyone that has been accepted off the WL gotten the official letter in the mail from Graduate Admissions? Also, has anyone accepted off the WL had their online status change from "submitted" to "accepted" yet??

Hi AussiOzoz,

I don't think the Graduate Admissions office send out an official letter by snail mail. Your official letter is available online at https://www.gradadmissions.ucla.edu/newapp/Login.asp?topage=AdmissionStatus.asp. Once you type in your email and password and you hit continue, you're taken to your official letter, which is available for viewing and printing until 12/31/11. I was an original acceptee but my application status never changed from Submitted to Accepted. To this day, it still says Submitted. I'm not sure if this status will ever change. If it does, it will probably be closer to fall quarter.

Hey guys, my online status has already been updated!

Hi everyone. I was just accepted into the MECN program to begin Fall 2012. I would really appreciate any feedback on how you guys like the program so far? Any specific likes or dislikes? Things that could be improved upon? I am trying to make a decision between this program and CSUN's ABSN program. I'm a bit worried about clinicals not starting right away in MECN. Does anyone wish they had more clinical time or do you feel it's sufficient? Does anyone know job placement statistics for students graduating from the MECN program? Any information would be helpful! Thanks!

Congratulations on your acceptance! I'm a first year MECN student and currently finishing up my second quarter in the program. To answer your questions first, I personally liked the fact that we wait until the third quarter before starting the clinicals. Most of us don't have a medical or health care background and as a MECN student, you spend the first two quarters getting acquainted with the skills (fundamentals, physical assessment) and knowledge (pharmacology & pathophysiology) you'll need to be somewhat confident in clinicals. I personally liked that, but other students in the program may feel differently. MECNs may be starting clinicals later than most other programs, but they end up putting in more clinical hours than other programs. Our last quarter in the program is spend immersed in the unit of your choice (I think it's ~40 hrs/week). I think St. Mary comes second and at a considerably less number of hours. So if you're worried about not having enough clinical hours, don't! You'll have plenty under your belt by the time you're done with the program. Not sure on the job placement stats, but I think it's pretty high. Usually between 90-100%.

Just remember, UCLA's MECN program is an accelerated MASTER program, so you'll get an MSN, not just a BSN upon completion. This also means that there's a higher expectation. I love the program, but it occasionally created self doubt in regard to my intellectual capacities. You receive TONS of information and expected to understand them in a short time. In addition, there's a lot of writing and group presentations involved. If you crave or welcome challenges, this program is definitely for you. Staff, faculty, and hopefully your classmates are VERY supportive. Once you're in the program, it's not very competitive at all (until you start applying to the same jobs/residency programs as your classmates. lol).

Good luck in determining the best program for you. I'm rooting for UCLA, but I'm a little biased. :)

ADEcstatic...thank you so much for providing all that information....I know you are super busy in the program and that was very nice of you to take the time to reply!