Duke Spring 2022 MSN

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Hi there,

I thought I would start this thread for people applying for Duke's MSN program Spring 2022. I am applying for FNP and applied early admission since I'm a Duke nurse. Anyone else already have the ball rolling?

Specializes in Inpatient-Outpatient-Infusional Hem/Onc.

Where do you apply for scholarships?

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Specializes in Critical Care/Ambulatory Care.

@ACzerpakRN I'm not sure where you're located, but if you are from a more rural area (or would move to a rural area after graduation) check out HRSA scholarships or HRSA loan forgiveness.

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Specializes in Critical Care/Ambulatory Care.

@OrthoNurse30 I also got my financial aid package. I saw it when I logged into the Duke Hub. Did you also get an email?

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Specializes in Pediatric ER.
1 hour ago, hopedice said:

@OrthoNurse30 I also got my financial aid package. I saw it when I logged into the Duke Hub. Did you also get an email?

The real question is. How did you activate and log into the Duke Hub? ?

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Specializes in Critical Care/Ambulatory Care.

@joeyagarza5  I got an email from the Duke IT department with my NetID after I accepted the offer of admission and paid the deposit ?  I can't say it was exactly the easiest process to set up LOL a little complex

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Specializes in Perioperative Nurse.

Hello Everyone!

Congrats to everyone who got in! I received an acceptance to the AGPCNP program and am elated!! I have a couple of questions:

1) What is the program length for full time? I have looked everywhere but it seems pretty vague.

2) How many times do we visit campus?

3) Did anyone ever start a FB group?

Looking forward to starting this new journey with y'all!

Kate

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Hi everyone and congrats on getting accepted :)

Those of you who applied to the FNP program or the PMHNP program, what kind of experience did you have prior to applying? 
 

Also, can anyone shed some light on to interview process? Im planning on applying for the next cycle! Thanks so much in advance! 

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Hello,

I am beginning the PMHNP program in the Spring. I have seven years of RN experience. I started with three years in Med/Surg and telemetry. I transitioned to psychiatric nursing about four years ago starting with an adult inpatient psychiatric hospital. I now manage detoxification and mental health stabilization center. 
 

-I don’t think the exact years are as portably as having some years in acute medical care and an interest in family practice or psychiatric care. 

- I got the feeling that Duke nursing looks for someone who has shown progression and drive in the area they would like to pursue. One thing that I believe helped my knowledge in general as well as enhanced my resume was achieving an ANCC board certification such as psychiatric mental health RN( in my case) or ambulatory care in the case of FNP. It is not hard to just to get. Check ANCc to see if your experience makes you eligible, follow the steps, and study. Then you can notate your are a board certified RN. This is my personal advice, I am not quoting any school or their admission requirements. 
 

I applied by the deadline and honestly I underestimated how long the essays would take me. It is not easy getting all you would like to say onto one page while trying to show your dedication, academic goals, and personal experience. Do them first and spend time on many drafts. Also asap, carefully pick your references. Duke states on its admissions page that they recommended a reference that is in a similar position to where you are aiming to be. So nurse practitioners and physicians are what I fo used on. Duke is not rolling so everyone has the same due date, interview period, and decisions.
 

I think they are really a good school that will hopefully provide a great opportunity to grow. This is priceless in the world of distance NP programs.  I wish you the best!

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Specializes in Surgical/Orthopedic.

I just created the FB group "Duke MSN/DNP Spring 2022" if anyone want to join

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Specializes in Psychiatry/Addiction Medicine.
20 hours ago, FutureNP_1319 said:

Hi everyone and congrats on getting accepted ?

Those of you who applied to the FNP program or the PMHNP program, what kind of experience did you have prior to applying? 
 

Also, can anyone shed some light on to interview process? Im planning on applying for the next cycle! Thanks so much in advance! 

I will be attending the PMHNP program. I had 6 years of leadership experience in the behavioral health and academic worlds, I'm a psych RN, certified mental health counselor, research stemming back since high school, a masters degree, a 4.0 in another DNP program, and my total combined GPA from my first BS, MS, and BSN was a 3.9. 

 

in other news,

Merit Scholarship notices went out today. I'm trying not to be bummed for not getting it, but SUPER congrats to the person who did!

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Specializes in Oncology/Medical-Surgical/BMT.
20 hours ago, Carey Kaplanek said:

Hello,

I am beginning the PMHNP program in the Spring. I have seven years of RN experience. I started with three years in Med/Surg and telemetry. I transitioned to psychiatric nursing about four years ago starting with an adult inpatient psychiatric hospital. I now manage detoxification and mental health stabilization center. 
 

-I don’t think the exact years are as portably as having some years in acute medical care and an interest in family practice or psychiatric care. 

- I got the feeling that Duke nursing looks for someone who has shown progression and drive in the area they would like to pursue. One thing that I believe helped my knowledge in general as well as enhanced my resume was achieving an ANCC board certification such as psychiatric mental health RN( in my case) or ambulatory care in the case of FNP. It is not hard to just to get. Check ANCc to see if your experience makes you eligible, follow the steps, and study. Then you can notate your are a board certified RN. This is my personal advice, I am not quoting any school or their admission requirements. 
 

I applied by the deadline and honestly I underestimated how long the essays would take me. It is not easy getting all you would like to say onto one page while trying to show your dedication, academic goals, and personal experience. Do them first and spend time on many drafts. Also asap, carefully pick your references. Duke states on its admissions page that they recommended a reference that is in a similar position to where you are aiming to be. So nurse practitioners and physicians are what I fo used on. Duke is not rolling so everyone has the same due date, interview period, and decisions.
 

I think they are really a good school that will hopefully provide a great opportunity to grow. This is priceless in the world of distance NP programs.  I wish you the best!

 

21 hours ago, FutureNP_1319 said:

Hi everyone and congrats on getting accepted ?

Those of you who applied to the FNP program or the PMHNP program, what kind of experience did you have prior to applying? 
 

Also, can anyone shed some light on to interview process? Im planning on applying for the next cycle! Thanks so much in advance! 

Hi!

So I applied and got accepted into the MSN PMHNP program. My experience is 6 years of Med-Surg/Oncology/Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant. I was really concerned when I first applied as to whether I’d have a good chance of getting in because my experience as a nurse has not been in psych.

However, the psychological component of my time as a nurse has been my favorite part. As an oncology nurse, there is a huge huge mental health aspect to it. I feel like most of my time as a nurse in cancer care has been spent emotionally and mentally supporting my patients and their families through a really difficult diagnosis. They’re with us for weeks to months at a time, so we get to really help them. 

My passion for psych comes from my time as an onc nurse, but also from something that happened to me that was very personal. I lost my best friend to death by suicide a few years ago and that really shifted my direction. I felt fired up to help make change in the mental healthcare system. I’m also gay, so my dream has always been to help children and adolescents - esp LGBTQIA+ Youth.

All this to say… I believe that having psychiatric experience is absolutely helpful/important, and I do plan to get a per diem position on a psych unit while in school, but I did not personally have direct psych experience and was offered admission. I emphasized all of these experiences in my personal statement and made sure my heart came out. I also spoke with Sean, who is one of the assistant professors in the PMHNP department, and he was so kind and actually made it a point to say that he looks for students who can bring different skills and perspectives to the PMHNP table. That was really encouraging to hear.  

Good luck on your application! 

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Specializes in Critical Care/Ambulatory Care.

@FutureNP_1319 Hey there! Totally echoing everything that everyone has already mentioned above LOL, but I agree that it isn't as much about number of years of experience. I really felt that Duke was looking for a candidate that was passionate about their area of nursing, and could demonstrate progression/growth in their field. 

I applied to FNP with a subspecialty in Cardiology (MSN) and was accepted. A few things that I think helped with my application was not just 6 years of experience, but I demonstrated progression from Med-Surg/Surgical Stepdown 1.5 years, to Cardiac/Medical Critical Care for 3 years, and the last 2 years in a rural Internal Medicine clinic where I took on more leadership roles (charge nurse, involved in improvement of quality care meetings etc). If you can get certifications as an RN that will also help in my opinion. If you're interested in FNP, look into getting certified as an Ambulatory Care Nurse. Another thing to think about is that (at least in my experience) mental health will play a role into every area of nursing. FNPs also provide care to patients struggling with mental health (at least where I am located LOL which is quite rural and access to specialty care is very difficult for many) .

A few other things to consider: Start your essays early! It took me a few months to really get solid essays that were worthy of submission. Have friends or colleagues proofread for you. The essay questions are quite broad and they expect you to get your point across/answer the question in one page max. 

The waiting for the interview process is long and it's hard to be patient LOL but hang in there. Be prepared for more job interview styled questions/situational based questions. Just my opinion, but I thought that having a good amount of experience as a nurse was helpful in being able to answer the interview questions. For example, my interviewer asked me about patient situations that were stressful and how did I handle it etc.

Best of luck to you in all your endeavors!!

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