I'm very interested in the DePaul MENP program. I'm changing careers from Business/Sales as it's not fulfilling at all. Helping baby humans and moms is my calling. I just started the A&P I prerequisite out of the 4 PRs required. I had to take Bio 101 previously & got a B due to working full-time. A few questions before I apply:
1. What was your GPA? I have an undergrad 3.5 so no GRE for me. So far 3.0 with the Bio B for prerequisites. Hoping to pull an A from A&P I & II.
2. I'm currently volunteering at UIC hospital in the postpartum unit. (I want to be a NICU nurse).
3. How did you pay for this? Any scholarships? I currently have no FAFSA money left and hopefully will be able to get private loans. Credit is not so great.
4. What is the best cohort quarter to apply? I'm looking at Winter. I don't need the distractions of Summer-time Chicago.
What are my chances of getting in? It's my #1 choice.
I’m doing something different, a DNP in CRNA so its a little different but really there are still schools out there that will let you in right after your BSN and will even let you apply while getting your BSN. Valpo in Indiana is one of them. So is Duke, University of Iowa, University of Arizona, and Johns Hopkins. That’s just the ones off the top of my head, there really are so many if you’re okay with leaving Illinois as I can’t remember who offers them in the city. There are a few threads about plenty of people doing such on here and if they can do it, you can do it!
Look into joining NursingCAS. Even if you don’t use it to apply to schools it will give you a great comprehensive list at who is accepting spots still, deadlines and admissions criteria in a central spot and you can look by degree, specialty, delivery of program (online, on campus, hybrid, etc). Not all schools use this so just keep that in mind but I found it extremely helpful. I was told by a school that I had gotten into that they use that site specifically to get last minute additions to students who ditched out and extend their deadlines past what is on their general website often. Some even offer breaks on app fees on there.
Also If you’re hellbent on staying in Chicago look into working at one of the local hospitals that have great tuition reimbursement. University of Chicago in Hyde Park doesn’t have a nursing program, but if you work for them they will pay 100% towards a BSN and I believe 80% or near that for a graduate degree at an outside school which is all on their website. Rush is also notorious for giving great tuition reimbursement if you can land a job there. Northwestern’s and Loyola’s reimbursement for nursing is meh but you can find out about all that on the forum as people have talked about it before.
Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
On 6/24/2019 at 8:54 PM, heythatsmybike said:
Accelerated programs are often 12-16 months and there are more of them compared to masters entry programs, so after applying to both I was able to start my accelerated BSN program way faster than the start date to the MENP program allowing me to finish with my BSN sooner within 15 months. From then I could have immediately started the DNP program the following month after graduation, meaning it would have taken me a little over 4 years to get my DNP. Just because you have an MS from DePaul, doesn’t exactly help get the DNP faster. If you look at the classes and the track requirements on the site, only 1 class transfers into their DNP program in all tracks and that’s even if you’re lucky enough to get into their DNP program after putting yourself through financial hell. If you’re looking at MSN-DNP programs, look closely because many require a formal MSN, which is not what you get from DePaul, you get a MS in Nursing, which sounds similar but is not (I went through the application process, confirmed this and talked with the school, despite what an earlier post stated). These are ones where you have a masters in CNS, Midwifery, etc. which is not the degree DePaul awards with their Masters programs. Most DNP programs are often 2-3.5 years long. So again, be careful.
There's a lot to unpack here written by someone who doesn't know what they're talking about, so let's take it from the top.
If you're going into nursing specifically to do advanced practice, you're going into the wrong field. If you know that you want to do that, go be a Physician's Assistant. The various advanced practice fields in nursing exist for experienced nurses who decide to go to the next level, not as a quick route from lay person to provider.
There is no functional distinction between an MSN and an MS in Nursing; the difference is largely historical, and you can sit boards just the same. My classmates (and students) later matriculated to and graduated from many different post-masters and dnp programs. The MSN-DNP programs that heythatsmybike talks about are properly referred to as DNP-Completion programs...and those require prior advanced practice certification. MENP grads apply to BSN-DNP programs, just like any other baccalaureate-prepared nurses - although I suggest keeping your syllabi to see if you can get out of some grad courses if you matriculate elsewhere.
As a graduate of both the MENP and the DNP at DePaul, more than once class transfers over. In fact, for the first year you can go part-time and generally keep pace with the full-time students.
DePaul's DNP options are limited, so if you're counting on staying for the DNP you should keep that in mind in case you want to do Acute Care.
Graduate School is expensive, but if you go on to pursue additional education in nursing, be it a doctorate or post-master's certificate, the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Illinois requires only requires faculty to have a Master's Degree...which all MENP grads have. I was not unusual in being able to teach my way through my DNP, getting tuition waivers for all the classes I taught. I ended up graduating with no additional debt.
Part of the reason for the MENP is that graduate education opens up access to GradPLUS loans, while second bachelors degrees aren't supported by Dept. of ED.-backed loans.
heythatsmybike
142 Posts
I’m doing something different, a DNP in CRNA so its a little different but really there are still schools out there that will let you in right after your BSN and will even let you apply while getting your BSN. Valpo in Indiana is one of them. So is Duke, University of Iowa, University of Arizona, and Johns Hopkins. That’s just the ones off the top of my head, there really are so many if you’re okay with leaving Illinois as I can’t remember who offers them in the city. There are a few threads about plenty of people doing such on here and if they can do it, you can do it!
Look into joining NursingCAS. Even if you don’t use it to apply to schools it will give you a great comprehensive list at who is accepting spots still, deadlines and admissions criteria in a central spot and you can look by degree, specialty, delivery of program (online, on campus, hybrid, etc). Not all schools use this so just keep that in mind but I found it extremely helpful. I was told by a school that I had gotten into that they use that site specifically to get last minute additions to students who ditched out and extend their deadlines past what is on their general website often. Some even offer breaks on app fees on there.
Also If you’re hellbent on staying in Chicago look into working at one of the local hospitals that have great tuition reimbursement. University of Chicago in Hyde Park doesn’t have a nursing program, but if you work for them they will pay 100% towards a BSN and I believe 80% or near that for a graduate degree at an outside school which is all on their website. Rush is also notorious for giving great tuition reimbursement if you can land a job there. Northwestern’s and Loyola’s reimbursement for nursing is meh but you can find out about all that on the forum as people have talked about it before.