Any UCSF Mepn Applicants?

healthmatters · Jan 8, 2008

hi star77

i would love to meet for coffee to decompress. it is so great to chat with someone with such similar interests and without the competitive edge. it gives me hope that there are still people who are in health care for the right reasons. i work in the pm so my mornings are free.

if you want you could email me at my personal address which is [email protected] from there i could give you my phone number.

clk0893 · Jan 8, 2008

Hi there, glad to join this board. I have an interview for ANP in Integrated Complementary Healing (ICH). Does anyone know if you get extra points for calling the school and asking questions? Does the school or the Directors look highly upon that? Also, does anyone on this board have information re ICH that they can share? If you've graduated, what are you and other students doing now? What were your impressions of this focus? Thanks so much.

czyja, MSN, RN · Jan 9, 2008

Does anyone know if you get extra points for calling the school and asking questions?

I dunno but I get the distinct impression that one does not get extra credit for calling them. I have resisted all temptation to pick up the phone and chat.

sheilanagig · Jan 9, 2008

Sheilanagig, Healthmatters. High Fives to you.
I work at PP right now, and although my clinic doesn't do ABs, I've been an escort for other folks at the clinic that does ABs. Right on. Thanks for protecting our rights.
In any case... Healthmatters, I was wondering the same thing. I consider myself fluent in Spanish (I used to be a river guide in Oaxaca - now I just guide in the sierras), and I do patient histories/translate during exams for clinicians... but occasionally I find a vocabulary word that I fail on (like band-aids, I ALWAYS forget the Spanish word for band-aids).
I'm comfortable talking with people in Spanish, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have at least part of an interview in that language. I checked out one of my interview sites, and all the clincians are bilingual. Hmm. Any current students/past interviewees want to comment?
It's something I'm curious about as well...

Right back at you with those fives! So good to know there is a community here supporting one another.

I am curious too about the interview bit and the second languages q and a. My interviews are on the 25th at UCSF and the 29th at Stanford. I like the idea of the full interview day b/c I love meeting other people going through the same process --normalizes any anxiety I may have.

The best advice I think I have gotten about the interview was to be honest and at ease with yourself: you wouldn't be considered for an interview if you weren't one stellar individual.

karla27ca · Jan 12, 2008

As great a nursing program as it is, I heard that a current batch of MEPN students have had to delay their pediatrics rotation this quarter because the school does not have any clinical instructors. Has anyone heard that? Does this affect the graduation date? Are other school struggling with this as well? I would be horrified if that happened to me!

lananp · Jan 12, 2008

hi healthmatters,

my interview is also on the 18th of january(acnp). my second though is on 23rd in sf. how are you doing? i'm quite stressed at the moment, but trying to stay calm. do you have a clue at what part of the day will be the interview(morning or afternoon)?

good luck!

How did you find out about the clinicians at the site for one of your interviews. We both are applying for the ACNP program so I assume that your second interview is on the 28th in Stanford. I saw on one of your posts that you learned from your experience in the clinic that you did not want to be a FNP, and i had a very similar experience. When i started volunteering at PP in the ab clinic i had intentions of applying to the FNP program and learned that it was not for me and that Emergency medicine was much more up my alley. anyhow i look forward to meeting you, it sounds like you have a lot going for you, you have done some awesome work, congrats and thanks!! I will let you know if i find anything out about spanish part of the interview.

kflagg · Jan 15, 2008

Hello all,

I'm adding my name to the hundreds (by the look of it) who have worried their way through this discussion. i haven't even applied yet and already i'm wringing my fingers!

A warning: this post turned out to be a lot longer than planned. All apologies!

i do have some questions for anyone out there who is already in the program or is familiar with it:

1. for personal reasons, i'm restricted to bay area nursing programs. ucsf is my dream school, but i'm trying to be realistic. in terms of both education, preparation for the "real world," and the kind of jobs that are available to graduates: what is the real difference between ucsf, sf-state, and usf? also: are any other college grads out there thinking of just getting the RN and then moving on to grad school after getting some experience?

2. Is anyone familiar with the ANP program and the range of careers that it prepares for you? sorry, i know this is a very general question. At first I was thinking of applying for the FNP program, but i am becoming more interested in the alternative medicine option for the ANP and all that would allow. i live in a -somewhat- rural area. where might i find ANPs working to speak with?

3. Finally, this is the same old question everyone else has. i have a few months left before i send in my app (oct.), and i'm wondering what i should be thinking about to strengthen my application. i'll give a synapsis of my experience and education:

-i'm 27

-i have a b.a. from a good school, a degree in english, and a 3.5.

-i just left a job as an editor of a weekly paper (where i worked for a year in a half) to take a job as a public health aide at WIC (federal nutrition program for at-risk families)

-my media experience includes a lot of health reporting

-my volunteer experience is extensive and includes a lot of community media and human rights work; my health care volunteer is limited to the three months i spent helping out at an AIDS/TB clinic in Guatemala

-I speak Spanish and use it daily at my job

-My plan is to try to volunteer at a hospital that serves many latina women and not enough spanish-speaking staff...to act as a kind of liaison and 1-man welcoming party...i don't see how i could help out in any medical way. I'm also taking prereqs at community college, and have no doubt i'll get all A's, because i love this stuff.

Any advice? Anything and everything is helpful. I know there are a variety of volunteer experiences that i would enjoy, so it's hard to pick one. i didn't have time to volunteer while i was editor of the paper.

Thank you very very much to all. And to those who have already applied: best of luck.

k.

czyja, MSN, RN · Jan 15, 2008

i haven't even applied yet and already i'm wringing my fingers!

Welcome. Fasten your seat belt 'cause you're in for a wild ride. You're gonna have plenty of time for finger wringing - so cut it out!

A good place to find NP's doing primary care is in community health centers and busy family practices. Women's health centers also tend to have a lot of NP's.

I would advise learning as much as you can about the profession and getting a sense of clarity on what it is you want to do in nursing and why. Worrying about how your volunteer experiences, grades, gre etc stacks up to the next applicant or how it will/wont impress the ad com will drive you nuts and is a fruitless exercise. Learning about nursing, introspection, writing drafts of your essay, studying for the gre and pre-reqs doing and doing quality volunteer work (ie something that you are passionate about) is time well spent.

You got time. Applications will not be available until July and you dont submit it until the fall. Try posing questions to yourself and answer them in writing. Why alternative health care? Why nursing and not naturopathy,accupuncture etc? What kind of practice do you see yourself having? Who do you want to serve? Why? Sounds like you are interested in rural health - why? What have you done so far that points you in this direction? Are you interested in teaching? Research? What is your life-plan and how does nursing fit in?

Oh - you need to have a back up plan - this prudent step will reduce your anxiety. Apply to an ADN program and other direct entry programs. UCSF is a long shot for even the most well qualified of applicants.

Good luck!

star77, MSN, RN · Jan 15, 2008

k,

I actually work with an ANP at my clinic. She's in charge of our pre-natal program and also sees regular patients, and works alongside the FNPs. I agree with czyja- most primary care clinics will have ANPs. If you want to find people who are working in alternative/complimentary healthcare as an NP, it might be a good idea to look at 1)medical acupuncturist offices, 2)medical health spas?, 3) low-income acupuncture clinics. I know one of the docs who rotates through our clinic also does acupuncture in Davis for students. Maybe check one of the university clinics as well?

And relax. Best of luck to you. Stop wringing your fingers- you're going to need them to type. :specs:

star77, MSN, RN · Jan 19, 2008

To those who have interviewed...

How'd it go? :up:

czyja, MSN, RN · Jan 20, 2008

How'd it go?

It went very well. Most of all I was very impressed with the applicants - an amazing group of people.

Those of us who are local were interviewed by a faculty member ( we have second interviews at a different time) and the out of towners were interviewed by a faculty member and a nurse manager. The faculty have a list of questions to ask - nothing earth shattering, most of the why nursing, why (fill in your speciality), why UCSF etc.

The program director advised us to answer questions honestly and from the heart rather than giving the kind of anwsers that we think they want to hear. I interviewed thousands of people in my last career and I have to say this is good advice. When one tries to anticipicate the "right" response one usually comes off as being somewhat detached and phony.

Good luck to all of you going next week! The day is long and tiring so be certaint to get your rest and eat your wheaties in the morning.

star77, MSN, RN · Jan 26, 2008

It went very well. Most of all I was very impressed with the applicants - an amazing group of people.
Those of us who are local were interviewed by a faculty member ( we have second interviews at a different time) and the out of towners were interviewed by a faculty member and a nurse manager. The faculty have a list of questions to ask - nothing earth shattering, most of the why nursing, why (fill in your speciality), why UCSF etc.
The program director advised us to answer questions honestly and from the heart rather than giving the kind of anwsers that we think they want to hear. I interviewed thousands of people in my last career and I have to say this is good advice. When one tries to anticipicate the "right" response one usually comes off as being somewhat detached and phony.
Good luck to all of you going next week! The day is long and tiring so be certaint to get your rest and eat your wheaties in the morning.

Um, the breathing exercise rocked. :w00t:

I really enjoyed the day.

I felt like I could have had a beer and a nap by about 2:30pm though. Probably didn't help that it was POURING outside, too, huh?

Hope everyone did very well. Good luck you awesome people! :cheers:

Star