Direct Entry MSN Programs

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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Hi, I am beginning to get applications together to apply for direct entry MSN programs for 2013. I graduated with a BS in Community Health with honors (3.5 GPA). I began my college career with nursing school but after the first semester of the upper division program had to withdraw due to my grandmother's leukemia. I realized that the importance of spending time with her and helping with her health needs were priority at that time in my life. Now I am ready to pursue my dream of being a nurse.

After researching a lot of schools and others posts I feel that my GPA is not as high but that my experience in health care is there. I have worked as a CNA and completed a semester of clinical in nursing school that I absolutely loved. I am currently working at a large opthamologist office as a patient representative, and training to become a COA. After working just a few weeks on the administrative side of health care I realized that is not what I enjoyed and started to look into nursing school.

There are several programs I have looked into, one in particular is UVA MSN-CL. I attended their open house this spring and fell in love with the program (already loved the town and UVA itself). What I especially admired is the idea of 1:1 clinical experiences, after experiencing a clinical group with 8+ students I understand how beneficial this would be in a nursing education. Does anyone have any suggestions of other programs that have similar clinical experiences?

Also, I was interested in seeing if there are others who have advice to offer or would share their experiences.

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Hi millydog,

I am a current UVA CNL student, and would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. I will say that my class has a wide variety of previous backgrounds and GPAs, and I would not worry about your GPA if I were you...remember they take into account your entire portfolio of experiences, and having strong healthcare experience will only enhance your application. Most importantly, you need to stress why you want to be an RN- I found having specific shadow experiences with nurses in the hospital really enhanced my understanding of the scope of practice and daily tasks of a nurse. Are you from Virginia? Good luck with everythind and feel free to contact me.

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Has anyone ever been accepted into the UVA CNL program with a criminal background dating back 10 years or more?

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