Accepted to UCLA's 2007 MECN Program!

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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!!

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....

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

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

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.

I think CSULB has one. One of my classmates took it there.