Direct Entry MSN Programs 2013

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Anyone on here applying to direct entry MSN programs that begin in summer or fall of 2013? I think I have finalized my list of programs to apply to, and I am beginning to get everything together to start applying this summer/early fall (I know this is rather early, but I'm a bit anxious and I was wondering if there was anyone else on this board who is just as excited as me!). I am pretty certain that I will be applying to UPenn, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, University of Massachusetts, Boston College, Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Marquette. I am also applying to a few accelerated BSN programs in my state (Florida) - UCF and UF, for sure. I have all of my prerequisite courses completed, and currently have a 3.76, but my BS is still in progress and I have to retake the GRE this summer. I look forward to hearing from other people!

Bcgradnurse,Many thanks, that is very helpful. I too am very motivated to get back to the job market ASAP, so BC is very attractive. Cost and debt is beginning to take up more of my thoughts, so what you're doing with the loan repayment program is also appealing. If I can get most of my loan debt paid off early on, that would eliminate most of the downside to any options I consider. Plus, I'm attracted very much to helping underserved areas anyway. I guess I could come up with dozens of questions but here's a few to start:..

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1. Do you think I should give much consideration to where clinical rotations are offered as between the different direct entry programs? .

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2. Can you give an approximate hours per day/week the BC program required in terms of having to be somewhere specific - in class/labs/clinicals?.

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3. I'm male...any thoughts around this? Male NPs seem very few and far between, not sure why...

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Anything that comes to mind in terms of advice is appreciated!

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Commancer

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.

Hi Commancer-

I think where you do your rotations is important. For BC, you'll do your RN rotations at some of the best hospitals in the world. NP clinicals are done almost exclusively at outpatient practices. However, BC will set those NP clinicals up for you, unlike some schools who leave you on your own to find your placements.

I'd say you put in around 32 hours a week in class or clinicals. You'll probably put in an additional 3-5 hours per day studying. Don't plan on having much of a social life! Most of us put in as many extra hours as we could during NP clinicals. I ended up with about 120 hours over and above the requirements (over 2 semesters). I wanted as much experience as I could get. Every student in my class passed both NCLEX and NP boards on the first try.

It's AWESOME that you're male! There were no men in my class, maybe 2 in the class following. I think you'll be very welcome, no matter what school you end up at.

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BCgrad, Many Thanks again, that is good info. Because of the length, BC is probably my first choice at the moment. As for clinicals, all the Boston area programs seem to use the same hospitals which are big and well known. Great! But there are other programs elsewhere that seem to offer a much more limiting hospital selection for clinicals. The outpatient clinicals for NP sound good to me. I'm most interested in family NP, I want to be primary care in the truest sense.

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I also like the MassGen program because of the association with such a big hospital: my feeling is I would literally see everything there and thus be prepared for most everything in later practice. I guess overall I am attracted to programs that can offer clinicals in very large noteworthy hospitals. Some of the NPs I talk to locally have said the hospital where I worked is more of a selling point than the actual school. Let me know if you have a different take on any of this...

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I have heard being male is something of an advantage and I'm happy to hear you kind of agree. But forget my concerns, I've read that a lot of patients would like to see more males around in the kind of practices that interest me. I work at a LTC facility now and my male-ness makes me arguably the most well known staff member...patients appreciate variety I think.

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So maybe I can help fulfill a need....

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Any other shorter programs besides BC?.

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Thanks again!Commancer

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I'm applying this summer too. I'm finishing up my Masters in Biomedical Sciences, and I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois. I was originally interested in pursuing medicine, specifically psychiatry. After several internships and working in a psych hospital, I decided I wanted to pursue nursing instead. Have you found any forums that mention the stats of people who got accepted this past year? I'm applying with a 3.3 cum gpa from undergrad, and I'm prepping for the GRE now. When are you guys submitting your apps?

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good luck guys! I was in your shoes last year and now I start at UCSF in a few weeks.

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I wanted to update my list - I am no longer applying to Columbia, Yale, or University of Massachusetts, but I did add some other schools! I am now applying to Duke (I'm fairly certain its my first choice) and University of Cincinnati!

If you're looking for stats, you can look through the many posts on this forum with people who had posted, but the thing is, while grades are really important, these programs are looking for so much more than strong grades.

I have been working on apps the past month or so, and I will be submitting them in late July.

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Hello all! I recently decided to consider a career in nursing, specifically a direct-entry MSN program, and I'm looking at applying to Depaul, UIC, and Marquette (I'm from Chicago). But I could use some help!

Originally I was a pre-veterinary student because of my love of and passion for animals, but then after being honest with myself I realized I'm lacking the passion for medicine needed to be any sort of doctor. I'm more of carer, supporter, helper, so I thought nursing would be a good fit. I've shadowed a bit and I really like it already.

But since I'm so new, I have to idea of what it takes to be admitted to these sorts of programs. I'll have a Bachelors of Science degree with all the pre-reqs taken and many more science classes with a cumGPA of about 3.5. My GRE scores were 154V, 156W, and 4.5A. Does anyone know if these are these competitive for the schools I'm interested in?

I was also curious about the specialties, since Depaul does not require you to claim one while UIC and Marquette do. Would a specialty help you or hinder you in getting a job after graduation? And are employers hesitant to hire nurses who go straight to the MSN without any working experience? Thanks so much for any help!

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Maggie! I am in the same boat as you! Those are nice scores for gre! Keep up the good work! Unfortunately, I am pretty new to this direct entry field and so is my school. My advisers are not too familiar with this area of nursing and therefore I am in constant contact with my new advisor - from case western reserve. I just randomly called one day and told them I am about to apply to your school but I have no Idea what to do with my life. And the admissions coordinator helped me out :) They have a great program as well with the schools that you mentioned. I will be applying to the same schools! I am from California but I am hoping to move to Chicago in the next year. Good luck!

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Hi. I'm looking at the Direct Entry MSN at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati.

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Hello everyone!

I'm planning to enter Northeastern Direct Entry nursing program 2013. So excited! I'm working now over my personal statement. Northeastern is my only choice and I truly believe I'll make it! It'll be great to create a Facebook page for everyone who is applying to the same program so that we can share our ideas and concerns.

Thanks,

Evgeniya

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Specializes in psych/dementia.

Looking for apply to University of Maryland's CNL program for fall 2013. I'll finish up my last pre-req (Chem 101) during spring of 2013. Working on my personal statement in my head at this point.

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Hey count me in for Facebook [email protected]

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