Any UCSF Mepn Applicants?

CaliforniaGirl2 · Feb 28, 2009

Does any know if UCSF has housing such as dorms? Or are we on our own for housing?

CaliforniaGirl2 · Feb 28, 2009

Actually I figured out the website for housing. Are any of you thinking of university housing? Like Mission Bay or Aldea San Miguel? Or are you all doing off campus housing?

schmooper · Feb 28, 2009

I applied to the UCSF housing, Mission Bay and Avenue housing around Parnassus. I think you are supposed to apply asap, as it is very competitive. I hear someone say most nursing students end up at Mission Bay, but I could totally be wrong.

PotreroLCSW · Feb 28, 2009

Clongratulations to all of you who have received your letters of congratulations. Last year we received notification by mail and got two letters a couple days apart. One from the Nursing Dept. and one from the University itself. I'm glad to see they are becoming more electronic and saving paper/postage.

Let me see if I can answer a couple questions people have re: housing, requirements, and vacation.

Housing first: I think the vast majority of people are living off campus in apts. or shared situations. There is one student in Mission Bay housing and the shuttle leaves every half hour and is free with your student ID. There really aren't any food/cafeteria meal plans at that campus, but Potrero Hill, where I live, has several good and either reasonable or pricey food alternatives. We also now have our own Whole Foods, and there is one near the end of the Third Street Rail line/CalTrain Station also. Both are walking distance of about 15 minutes. There are several students in campus housing near the Parnassus campus, which is probably a better choice given location and food options on the Irving St. and Cole Valley areas.

Next requirements: I took A&P back in the 80's and wanted a refresher course to better prepare me for Patho right off the bat, and was in the Physiology class spring of last year. I don't know of anyone who actually had to submit copies of transcripts to the school if you were in progress. As for Psych, I do know the Board of RN in CA requires some psych classes in order to allow you to sit for the boards next year. Check out their website http://www.rn.ca.gov/ for more info.

For your vacations, take as much time as you can afford to take. Spend some down time with family and friends. Get away for a week or two, clean house, get organized and relax. Read a book, take a nap. You won't have much time to do any of these once school starts until the Christmas break which will be either 4 or 6 weeks. We finished right before Thanksgiving which was very nice to have all 3 holidays off.

Plan on taking your lunch with you as the cafeteria's on campus are pricey. You'll have an hour between morning and afternoon classes to eat and gather your thoughts. if possible, make up some dishes in advance that you can freeze. There is a microwave available to use on the 4th floor nursing lounge.

Enjoy this prep time now that the application/notification process is complete.

I hope this answers some of your questions. Now it's back to writing one of my last two research papers for this quarter.

Congratulations again. And for those of you who didn't make it in this time, make sure to take advantage of the question/answer time to figure how you can improve your chances on getting in next year.

SASYR · Mar 1, 2009

Hi Kristen (kflagg). I'm in the FNP and currently live in Santa Cruz. I also have a background in nutrition (undergrad and grad). Nice to know another central coaster in our cohort :)

Sitara

kflagg · Mar 2, 2009

sitara, thanks for the welcome. it occurs to me that as we get closer to moving date, there may be a weekend orientation (i think i remember something along these lines), and a central coast carpool might be a good way to save some precious pre-grad school cash, and get to know each other. might be something to consider. i look forward to meeting you, k.

star77, MSN, RN · Mar 2, 2009

Congratulations everyone! What an exciting time for all of you! It's really wonderful to read about everyone's enthusiasm and just to see how fired-up you all are.

MEPN's a pretty amazing program. You will see things that just don't happen at every hospital.

For those of you moving from out of town: craigslist is a great way to find apartments, rooms, etc. Keep in mind that at the end of May, UC Berkeley gets out for the semester, so East Bay apartments open up, and here in SF near the campus the medical Residents start in July (I think they finish end of June), so that's when you really see movement here. That being said, I scored my place in April of last year.

There is a very good chance of having clinicals in the South Bay, even if you live in the East Bay. Keep that in mind - one person has spent 3 quarters doing that commute. I live in SF and have spent an entire quarter driving to Palo Alto. I'm absolutely grateful for the things I've learned and seen on my clinical rotations, but it's definitely tough to motivate at 4:30am.

If the format is the same as last year, COUNT on driving to San Rafael once/week in the summer for your clinical skills practice lab. Don't groan- it'll be your weekly dose of sunshine if you live in SF... summers are pretty foggy, and it was really really FUN. A few people took the ferry and rode bikes, and there was much rejoicing and beer a few of those afternoons.

And for cryin' out loud, take some time to chill the funk out. If you've been burning to go somewhere for a few weeks, now is the time to do it. Count on being somewhat overwhelmed the first quarter - don't worry, everyone around you is too.

And pat yourselves on the back!

Congrats you guys!

SASYR · Mar 3, 2009

I hope we have the orientation soon! I'm dying to learn more about what we are about to embark on and to meet classmates and faculty!

kflagg - a car pool could work (if I don't end up staying over in the city with friends). Let's stay in touch!

PotreroLCSW · Mar 3, 2009

A few of you have expressed concern over orientation. We had ours on the Friday before classes started and it was pretty much mandatory. One of the things I thought was cool before the face to face meeting was the request from the school about submitting a paragraph or so about who you are and also a photo to be made available to both incoming students and faculty. It's nice to put faces to people when you actually meet.

Once you have officially accepted the invitation to admission and the deadline is past, the school will start sending things out in pieces about what you will need to do in order to begin the program. Things like Financial Aid, a Background check (done entirely online), all the immunizations you have to have current and titers to show you have immunity to. You may need booster shots to bring you up to speed. If you are already PPD+, you will only need to submit a recent CXR. All of this must be signed off by your doctor after blood tests have been completed. Don't do anything now until you get the official forms from the school, but do be advised that it's coming.

You won't have any days off during your first quarter and as Starr77 said, it's pretty daunting at first, but everyone is in the same boat. If you're weak in science but strong in other areas, buddy up with someone who is the opposite. It makes for much better studying.

Your first quarter should look something like this: Monday--> class all day, Tuesday -> San Rafael for skills lab, Wednesday --> class all day, Thursday and Friday --> 8 hour shifts in one of the chosen clinical sites, ie: hospitals. This past year they used: Kaiser SF, Alta Bates in Berkeley, SF General, UCSF and Stanford. There is no rhyme or reason to where one is assigned for clinicals. It's NOT based on your location. It's totally random and can NOT be changed. This has been an ongoing problem over the years and we tried to get some modification based on the high price of gas last year to no avail.

Your classmates will be your best source of support this next year and you will make some incredible friends, which will hopefully last a lifetime. If possible try to connect with some for drinks or eats before school starts. It makes for connecting in a non-academic setting more casual.

Once again, congrats for making it this far. Now sit back, relax, spend time with friends/

family and take a much needed vacation.

Oh, and when you get the letter about buying your scrubs, the current MEPN class is ALL to willing to give you ours. There should be a date before you need yours, and after we're done with our clinicals, that we can drop them off on campus for you all to rummage through. I think it actually might be on your orientation day. You will also need to purchase a stethoscope. I got mine at Allhearts.com. They were much cheaper than the campus bookstore or local medical supply. Make sure to buy one with both a bell and a diaphragm. Mine is the Littman Cardiology III. It's a pretty good one and will last all the way through your entire program.

Now it's back to a research paper. Enjoy your time off before the program starts.

SASYR · Mar 3, 2009

Thanks, PotreroLCSW!

I like the idea of getting together before our orientation. If anyone is interested, I have a good place in mind for us to meet and greet (and eat) in the inner sunset (where the main campus is located). Maybe we can set up a date in late May, early June?

Am I a nerd for wanting to go online and buy my stethoscope now? :specs:

schmooper · Mar 3, 2009

Meeting before the program does sound good.

I remember reading on this forum last year that they started a Gmail group for MEPN students. I think we should do that so we can give out more of our personal info, like email addresses, phone numbers, etc. And talk more about our moving and housing plans

If people want to, just pm me your email addresses and I will start group for our MEPN 09 class!

cantonio · Mar 3, 2009

Hello All,

Congratulations to everyone who got in! If you weren't able to get in this year, my advice is to reapply. I am a re-applicant and got in this year (my 2nd try). I think the commitment to the profession and to your vision is definitely a bonus for you.

I'll be in the FNP program and am looking forward to meeting all of you! I'm moving from Los Angeles, so the Bay Area will definitely be a new, exciting change for me. I know we'll probably be too busy to be scared. hehe. I'd love to meet up too beforehand.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Cynthia.