ECU MSN-AE Program 2008

medic97RN09 · Mar 25, 2009

2007Mom,

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on getting into the program! To answer your question, it all depends on you and the amount of stress that you are willing to put up with. We have a lot of people in our class that are from the Raleigh/Cary/Apex area. I know that several of the girls rented an apartment together and they drive home every weekend. (They don't have any children.) I also know of several that drive back and forth to class every day. (Two of them have small children.)

I just glanced at my Fall 2008 calendar. We had class all day every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We also had either 2 Mondays or 2 Fridays in late October, (the class was split in 1/2), that we were "exposed" to nursing practice in a nursing home. We also had 2 days the week of Thanksgiving break that we were "exposed" to nursing practice in a hospital setting. Assuming that your schedule will be the exact same as mine, you should be able get an apartment and just stay three days a week. (Provided that you can get loads of quality study time on the weekends.)

For the Spring 2009 semester, we have clinicals every Monday and Tuesday. We have exams every week or every other week on Wednesdays and we have class all day Thursday. We've also had 2-3 activities scheduled on Fridays.

The rumors that i've heard so far is that for the 1st Summer Session we are in clinicals all day every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and we have class all day Friday. For the 2nd Summer Session for our clinical capstone, we have to work with a preceptor for 36 hours a week for 5 weeks. You have to work whatever your preceptor does so if they work straight nights or weekends, you will too.

Again, i think that only you can answer your question. I think that if your husband could find a job and move to Greenville that this would be the easiest on your marriage and you would get to see your two year old every night. Unfortunately, with the economy in the tank & your husband being able to find a descent job plus being able to sell your home for a decent price, it might be easier financially to just get an apartment with a room-mate. Unfortunately, you have a LOT of studying that you will have to do each week. The dilemma for you will be study, spend time with the husband, or spend time with your two year old. Regrettably, for you to do well in this program, studying will have to come first.

Whatever you decide to do, if you need assistance with finding an apartment or if you and the husband need a tour of Greenville (house hunting), give me a call and i will help in whatever way that i can.

Enzo10 · Mar 25, 2009

Hello and congrats to all of the new students! I am in the current AE class and I live in Raleigh with my husband but stay in an apartment during the week with 2 other students in the program. This setup has been great for a few reasons: when I am in Greenville I can focus soley on studying, I have a built-in study group/support system for getting through this year, and I don't have to come to class exhausted from getting up at 5 or 6 am to commute here. I have driven in from my side of Raleigh before and it takes me about 1.5 hours. The days that I have done this I have been SO tired because we review so much material at such a fast pace in class that you are mentally drained, I cannot imagine driving back home each night.

Last Spring people accepted in the Raleigh and surrounding areas got together to discuss the program and at that time a lot of us planned to commute, since then only 2 commuters are still driving in everyday. The two moms who still commute get a hotel every now and then (before a final or when we had clinical rotations out of town). The last part of your summer sesson, the capstone portion, can be done in your hometown IF the instructor can get it set up. I am hoping this will be the case for me as I am tired of being away from home! I met one of my roommates through the ECU CON exchange site and one of them on this website. I am lucky to have become good friends with them and I encourage you to start communicating with your classmates, you will spend a LOT of time together over the next year and it really helps me to come "home" to people who know how hard it is! If you are set on commuting, you could probably get through it for the Fall semester, I am just not sure about the Spring, the schedule is so much harder. Let me know if you decide to get an apartment as I scouted all of Greenville for a safe, affordable, and convenient location and let me tell you some of them you DO NOT want to live in!! I would be happy to give you some ideas! You can email me for more info on any of this.

Out of curiosity, where are you driving from?

Good Luck!

CarolinaHurricaneFan · Mar 26, 2009

Hi! I was accepted to the Fall 2009 class and have a question for those currently in the program. I live about 2 1/2 hours from Greenville and am married with a 2-year-old. I am trying to decide whether to move my family there with me (husband would have to find a new job & we would have to sell our house) or whether to move there by myself and commute home on the weekends. What would those of you who have been thru the program recommend? Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated! :)

2007Mom-

Again, great to hear from another classmate for the program! My family and are also set to embark on this adventure beginning in August. My wife and have a 3 year old and live here in Greenville. Thinking of if I were in your situation.....from the father perspective I'm not sure I could be away from my son for that duration (5 days straight) and then try to come home on the weekend and have family time. Might be really tight on yourself and create more stress when you may feel you may need to study but want to be with the family on the weekend too. Do want to let you know that if you do decide to move to Greenville (or closer to it) my family and I will welcome you with open arms. We can have a little AE-MSN study group with the young kids playing together, haha!

Seriously though, whatever we can do to help, feel free to ask. My wife and I have been in Greenville for about 8 years so hopefully we can speak fairly about Pirate country.

Oh yeah, myself and another classmate have posted a couple messages on the CON exchange website ( https://team.nursing.ecu.edu/conexchange/ae/CONExchangeAlternateEntryHome/tabid/234/Default.aspx ) if you wanna check it out. Maybe we can all get to know each other in the time leading up to August!

Marc

CarolinaHurricaneFan · Mar 26, 2009

I applied for my loan before starting the program. The September deadline is the deadline for those of you starting in the fall (I had the same question). Go to the main website for uhs east and click on health careers. Download the application. If I remember correctly you will need 2 or 3 letters of reference. You will also have to send a copy of your fall schedule once you are registered. Once you mail your application in, they will mail you some info and a contract within a couple of weeks. Our program is eligible for 5,000 total (you will have to work at a uhs identity for 2 years). I received 2,000 at the beginning of fall semester and 3,000 at the beginning of the spring. As far as CON scholarships go I didn't get one but I encourage you to apply, you never know! Good luck!

Oh okay...that clears that up for me. Can you answer this for me, was your tuition paid for up front by UHSEAST? Also, how do you know/when do you know what unit you'll be assigned. Do you get to rank the units you would like to work in.

Thanks to you and the others in your class for all this information. You guys are helping so much!

GoECU · Mar 27, 2009

Uhs will send you a check in the mail and you use it for tuition, books, or whatever you need. I actually applied for financial aid with ECU and my tuition for the semester was paid out of it, then I received the remaining. As far as what unit, you can work any unit as long as it is available. I'm in the process of applying. I am planning to talk to the hospital's recruiter soon to see what is available. If you have any other questions let me know. I live in Greenville also so if you ever want to meet to ask questions just let me know!

cdcd · Apr 9, 2009

by cdcd

Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2009

Posts: 1

Hello friends, this is my first post

I am planing to join for ECU AE program, i have couple of question, i really appreciate if any one answer me

1. According to their website, we must have at least 1 year of clinical experience before entering to 2nd phase, in any way school will help me getting those experience or it is by ourself. If it is by ourself how much difficult to get that experience.

2.When do they need GRE score, i mean before entering to 2nd phase or at the time of admission and what is the best score needed to increase my chances.

I really appreciate if any one answer me.

cdcd

OBXLovr · Apr 19, 2009

Hi cdcd,

I am currently in Phase I of the program and thought I might be able to shed some light on your questions...

Yes, the MSN portion of the program (Phase II) requires 1 year of RN experience before starting any specialty classes. The way the program is designed, you begin working full-time as an RN once you complete Phase I in August. While working full-time, you spend a year taking all the core courses required for all master's specialties (like research, etc.) on a part-time basis online. Therefore, once you have completed the experience requirement, you've gotten all the general classes out of the way and you can begin all your specialized classes in the concentration of your choice. You can continue to take your master's concentration courses on a part-time basis while working (85% of students choose to do this), or you can at that time change to full-time student status to complete the rest of the program.

As far as the GRE goes, you must have taken the exam and have your scores in hand when you apply to the AE-MSN program from the beginning. They don't require that you submit them again when you begin Phase II. I think the program requires that you have at least a 1000 GRE score.

Hope that is helpful!

cdcd · Apr 21, 2009

Hi cdcd,
I am currently in Phase I of the program and thought I might be able to shed some light on your questions...
Yes, the MSN portion of the program (Phase II) requires 1 year of RN experience before starting any specialty classes. The way the program is designed, you begin working full-time as an RN once you complete Phase I in August. While working full-time, you spend a year taking all the core courses required for all master's specialties (like research, etc.) on a part-time basis online. Therefore, once you have completed the experience requirement, you've gotten all the general classes out of the way and you can begin all your specialized classes in the concentration of your choice. You can continue to take your master's concentration courses on a part-time basis while working (85% of students choose to do this), or you can at that time change to full-time student status to complete the rest of the program.
As far as the GRE goes, you must have taken the exam and have your scores in hand when you apply to the AE-MSN program from the beginning. They don't require that you submit them again when you begin Phase II. I think the program requires that you have at least a 1000 GRE score.
Hope that is helpful!

Thanks OBXLOVR, Sorry for replying late. I have some more q, do they pay us when we work full time as RN after phase 1. What grade they require in Pre requisite course. Can you tell me approx fees per semester. Thanks again, I appreciate your response.

CDCD

OBXLovr · May 9, 2009

Yes, you get paid the same RN salary as any other new graduate when you begin working full-time. The program doesn't have anything to do with that. After completing Phase I it is your responsibility to apply to hospital postings in your area, interview, and be offered a position.

I'm not sure what grades are "required" for prereqs, but I think they generally expect As and Bs, with preference for those that have mostly As.

As far as the fees, you can find a detailed breakdown of the cost of attendance on the ECU Registrar page. I believe the estimated cost of attendance for the 2008-2009 academic year (only the fall and spring) was about $16,000, and that included not only the tuition and fees, but also money for living expenses since you can't work.