FEEDBACK/ADVICE Johns Hopkins Entry Level MSN

Berado · Jul 12, 2022

I'm currently in the program. Here's realtalk time.

So, to answer you question about testing, we use ATI. I know there's a LOT of mixed opinions on ATI. I really like it. I think if you understand the progression of how they want you to answer questions, it's intuitive and you should be able to answer correctly. NCLEX is also moving to a new testing format called "next gen," and ATI caters to that.

Now, about the program......

It moves unbelievably fast. You don't have a life. When they say "accelerated," they're not screwing around. A lot of people came into this program not understanding exactly HOW fast this program moves. Particularly in the Summer with shorter semester, you need to be working constantly to keep up with the general workload, extra assignments, prepping for tests, and clinical work. You better know how to budget your time.

Things are very disorganized. The content you learn is extremely valuable, but I was completely astounded by the level of disorganization within this program. Some of the professors, I truly don't know how they get through their own days based upon how they run their classes. The other half of the professors are some of the smartest, most engaging, awe-inspiring people I have ever met and learned from. I feel truly honored to learn from a few of these people and I genuinely look forward to those classes. The other half, ugh.

The school really welcomes feedback on what's working and not working in classes and they make changes. You will learn how to take the speedbumps in stride. As my mentor told me when I was talking about how students were upset at the level of disorganization, "They DO know they're going into healthcare, right?" This is your chance to show that you can remain calm and collected, get your work done, and stay focused, despite the chaos going on around you. Pretty representative of healthcare, no?

You can either take your courses online or in-person. If you can, go in-person. I am an online student and I feel like a second-class citizen at times. We don't get the same quality of information to take the same tests, and some sometimes we need to figure that out for ourselves by talking with in-person people.

The clinicals make everything absolutely worth it. All my clinical instructors and units were amazing. That's why you come to this school, to take your clinicals at Johns Hopkins and WOW, you will be amazed at what you see and learn. Despite the hiccups, despite the teachers who can't work the course platform, despite the messy online format (that I do believe will improve over time -- it just got going during COVID) coming to Johns Hopkins was the best decision I could've made for myself. And it really is true that people notice the degree. Having JHU on your resume will get you in the door for an interview pretty much anywhere. The JHU network is vast and powerful. If you use it correctly, it will get you far.

NewMSNCa, MSN, RN · Jul 30, 2022

I’m a current student about to start my 4th semester in the program and every day I wish I decided not to come here.

Most of my cohort is incredibly unhappy, for one, but students are generally quite unsupportive of each other. Just the other day in my clinical environment the students were boasting about their grades to each other. A true lack of professionalism at its core, but Johns Hopkins doesn’t care who it recruits.

If you’ve ever had any professional experience in your life, consider that to be true detriment to coming into this program. You will be amongst people who have never held a job, or only held one job before in their life. It’s mortifying to be in a clinical environment with very young tone deaf “adults” who cannot control their giggles and volume of the voice.

Your clinical experience will be determined by your clinical instructor, but that’s what happens in every nursing school. Pray that you have one that supports learning and questions. Your psych clinical (and class) will be truly worthless, by the way, so I hope you don’t want to go into psych.

As for the didactic components, I will agree with the previous poster that half of the professors are amazing, wonderful people. Most of the time I cannot believe our professors are even nurses because of staggering lack of empathy and compassion they expression toward their students. If you join this program you will soon realize that grading at this school is entirely based on a game they play called “hide the ball,” where they won’t tell you how to succeed on their exams whatsoever, so you just have to teach yourself. You teach yourself throughout the entire program. It’s profoundly lazy teaching.

This is a toxic environment and if you want to be around kids with no real life experience who don’t even really want to be nurses but instead want to make as much money and have as little patient interaction as possible as a CRNA, join this program!