Accepted to UCLA's 2007 MECN Program!

mafafa1981 · Mar 16, 2007

Nurse2481:

Thank you for your response. I can definitely see where you are coming from with regards to all of the amenities that USD is offering you, and to be honest, you should choose the place where you feel most "at home." I can certainly understand that if you went to a private undergrad, you'll want to experience the same level of interaction with your professors and stay truly connected to the institution where you will spend most of your waking hours. If you are looking for everything that you described at USD, then by all means, don't go to UCLA. UCLA's resources are not confined to one building-- they are all over the Center for Health Sciences and even across the street into Med Plaza. As so, your learning will occur at many places, including other affiliated hospitals. I guess my take on the classes is biased because I went to Berkeley for undergrad and I'm used to working hard to be close with my professors and to get the most out of the classes. Nothing has ever been handed to me and I've had to learn to network, speak up, and really take a proactive approach to find great things in life. In my current job, all of these skills have helped me be very successful. I do want to say, however, that because my boyfriend (a med student) is a TA for the nursing students at UCLA, I find out about the interaction between the students and the professors there and it all seems to work well. The professors really do care about their students and they go the extra mile to help the students learn. You must remember that UCLA is a research institution, not a teaching one. In other words, it is safe to say that almost all professors there are working on original research and not there to teach per se. Yes-- you might get stuck with professors that can't teach (every once in a while), but in general you will be exposed to so many brilliant minds throughout your time there, that it will be invigorating, inspiring, and will actually have an impact the level of self-efficacy you feel. You may not get this at USD. I've noticed in my job at the hospital that the nurses who really move forward and rise to the top are those who can be strong in the clinic and in the research lab. In other words, if you're a great nurse on the wards, it gets you kudos, but if you are a great nurse on the wards AND can collect, analyze, and present data about how something you are doing changes the level of care you are providing, then that gets you twice the kudos because you are actively contributing to the field and spreading valuable knowledge. All in all, there is a reason that UCLA is the place where the sickest of the sickest come. They don't go to USD by all means (that is, if they have a hospital). UCLA is not going to baby you or anyone else. They will give you a lot of bang for a little buck. Sure--your co-worker is right. A lot of PH classes were taught with powerpoint and some of the professors were disorganized. However, the information was valuable and applicable to the workplace. And who can disagree with the fact that her degree carries a lot of weight? However, we cannot compare the PH school with the nursing schooll. They are TOTALLY different. All in all, UCLA is great if YOU squeeze the most you can out of it. Many students just take classes and go home. They become disappointed when the system doesn't hand them something on a sliver platter. This is a time in life to work hard and be humble and not to feel like we are so intelligent and priviledged that UCLA is below us. (Wake up and smell the coffee girl--it's UCLA!) This is the sense that I've gotten from students who have resented UCLA. The reality is--we know very little and having degrees behind our names right now is not an indication that we can chill out and wait for the nursing schools to offer us everything. Have you ever stopped to think why so many of those private nursing schools try so hard to lure you in? APU tried that with me, but when I mentioned it to my colleagues, they weren't impressed. I'd much rather take my money where the professors had to work their minds off to get there and not where they have the best fake cadavers and pristine classrooms. I really like our discourse and don't mean to sound rude at all. These are just my personal thoughts. I do understand your POV completely. You sound cool and I hope we end up as classmates. However, in the end, you should listen you what you GUT tells you. What does that inner voice say?? (By the way, I forgot to mention that I love the professors I work with and yes, I feel like I belong and like there is someone there to help should I need to reach out at some point).

mm306 · Mar 18, 2007

I just found out today that I got accepted to UCLA's MECN program (via snail mail, no emails were sent to me yet). I too am wondering if CSULA's ELMN program (which would give me a FNP at the end of 3 years) is the better route to go. I had an interview with CSULA last week.

The MECN program's curriculum is a little more confusing to me when I compare it to CSULA's. CSULA's curriculum seems much more practical and its tuition is also much cheaper than UCLA's.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Kensington · Mar 18, 2007

I'm very interested in hearing more about CSULA's program as well. Quick question though -- is CSULA in a bad part of town?

Thanks!

Kens

mm306 · Mar 18, 2007

CSULA is just off of the 10 freeway east of downtown. I don't think it is too bad of an area (but I might be wrong). The campus seems to be pretty secluded from the nearby neighborhoods.

nurse2481 · Mar 18, 2007

I honestly dont know much about CSULA but I work at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and I do know we have a program with CSULA where they pay you to go to school there if you promise you will work for them for 2 years after. So we have a lot of nurses at our hospital from CSULA and Cedars is a very good hospital.

nurse2481 · Mar 18, 2007

Hey Dahianna,

I am really interested how come you decided to go into nursing after public health. I'm so interested because it seriously was my life dream to go into public health...That is originally what I was working towards until I had an amazing experience that changed my life and I decided to go into nursing. But I still think of maybe going back to school in the future to get my masters in public health. The thing is I am really interested in international heatlh and my dream was to one day work for the WHO and travel or live in another country and help develop health systems or be a consultant or health educator...I dont know...I really love the idea of preventative care in the international arena because we all come from different cultures, bakgrounds, countries, and religions and so we all have different ideas on how to "treat" sickness or disease...but the one thing that is universal is preventative care...for example...teaching people about safe sex, or how colds are spread, or about sanitary issues, etc...I really like the idea of educating the public as a whole and teaching people in other countries things that we just take for granted. I lived in Chile for almost 2 years and I was so shocked at the things they didnt know about their health which to us is just common sense. I seirously could go on forever about that but that is another conversation...

Anyway, I really have always love the idea of public health but what also attracted me to it as said about is international health because I have a passion for traveling and being in other countries.. I love seeing other cultures and learning about other ways of life and I still have not got rid of the idea of public health in the future.

So, back to my question, I am just curious what made you want to go into public health and why you are now making a career change. Whether a good reason or bad reason, I am really curious for an honest view of the public health arena. I feel I have had a lot of experience in healthcare but I honestly dont know that much about the public health arena. I mean I know what I can read about..I know the different specialties and have read about the kind of jobs people get but I would love to hear your experience.

nurse2481 · Mar 19, 2007

I think everyone should go where they feel most comfortable...I have been talking to all the doctors at my hospital, the top surgeons, managers, nurses and the name doesnt matter. Its about your experience and where you feel you can best learn. In the end we will all have the same license and everyone looks at your experience. Go with the program that is tailored to what you are looking for

mm306 · Mar 22, 2007

Has anyone fulfilled their Epidemiology requirement for the UCLA MECN program yet? If I decide to go there I still need to pick up that course. I can either do it in Spring or Summer quarter at UCLA. I was wondering if anyone has taken the UCLA course. It looks like the summer class is almost online?

Can anyone recommend another school's Epi class?

Thanks!!

nurse2481 · Mar 22, 2007

Hey!

I still need to do my epi requirement if I go to UCLA as well. They are not offering it in spring but they will have it in the summer. It is not through UCLA extension though, it will be through UCLA summer school which is different. Usually the summer class is reserved for Public Health students but I called and they said if you are accepted to the MECN program they will help you get into the class. So hopefully that will work out for everyone that needs to take epi still.

Hope that helps some...if you call the nursing school they might be able to give you more updated details. I was told this a few months ago....

poppi789 · Mar 22, 2007

I just enrolled in Epi 100 for summer at UCLA. If you have a UID it shouldn't be any problem.

nurse2481 · Mar 23, 2007

oh my gosh is it really $877 for one epi class at UCLA? Did I do something wrong?

poppi789 · Mar 23, 2007

I was completely shocked as well - for some reason I was under the impression it would be closer to $450. I had no idea summer school cost so much - in the past, grants always paid for it! Perhaps there is another epi class that doesn't cost so much... if anyone has any ideas, I'm close to CSUN, CSULA and CSULB.