Finished my MSN this morning - ask me anything!

Nursing Students Western Governors

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I completed the final oral defense for my MSN through this morning. I also have my BSN from WGU.

Completed RN-to-BSN in one, six month term, and the MSN in 11 months and five days (not that I'm counting!)

Two degrees for under $10K out of pocket, including books. (I received a total of $2K in scholarships)

So----- I'm going to put myself out there and if you would like info about either program from a recent grad -hit me up!

I want to resurrect this old thread for the third time to ask a couple more questions. I currently have my ADN and I was wondering if it was the same amount of work and time to do the RN-BSN and then BSN-MSN as it is to do the RN-MSN? Also, in the RN-MSN program in 2020, are you awarded a BSN when that portion of the coursework is complete? What are the benefits/drawbacks of doing the RN-MSN rather than RN-BSN-MSN?.

thanks!

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I had the exact same questions!

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I reached out to my admission counselor for some answers and clarification. If we don’t get any feedback from past/present students then I will come back and let you know of these answers once I receive them.

are you still planning to do the BSN or MSN program at ? I’m scheduled to start on June 1/2020.

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Hi, I was a RN-MSN Education student. I graduated with my BSN in 2018. I chose to not complete the MSN Education.

Why did I choose RN-MSN and not RN-BSN?: When I started the program, I very much was interested in getting my BSN but I was also partially interested in getting a Masters. I purposely chose the RN-MSN tract over the RN-BSN tract because I felt if I became passionate about the Masters, I did not want to have to reapply for the Masters tract.

Hope this helps.

Overall, I found WGU to be a good program (not great, but also not bad). I ended up not completing the MSN due to a couple of personal crises that occurred. Also, I started to think it might be better for me to change course and go after an NP or an MBA.

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Thanks for your reply! Very helpful. If they allow me to graduate with only my BSN and not require me to go all the way through the MSN content then I believe I may just choose the RN-MSN track for the same reason you did. There really isn’t anything to loose if I can stop after BSN if I want.

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Specializes in OR, ICU, OR Team Leader.

Hi,

I am also interested in completing my nursing degree, but have concerns. I am in nursing administration and now contemplate getting an MBA in Healthcare instead. Are there any advanced nurses who have completed their MSN and MBA with ?

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I’m not clear how this program works. Do you take a pre-test to see what you know? Are you able to take the competency exam more than once? I don’t understand how people are able to complete it so fast. 

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On 4/7/2020 at 8:37 PM, little star said:

Hi,

I am also interested in completing my nursing degree, but have concerns. I am in nursing administration and now contemplate getting an MBA in Healthcare instead. Are there any advanced nurses who have completed their MSN and MBA with WGU?

Yes there are lots who I have spoken to who have their MSN from and work as educators, in management, or informatics. Some have opened their own businesses as well.

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On 9/7/2020 at 9:26 AM, LilyRN99 said:

I’m not clear how this program works. Do you take a pre-test to see what you know? Are you able to take the competency exam more than once? I don’t understand how people are able to complete it so fast. 

Pretests are necessary before attempting to take the objective assessments. Protests help you get understanding of where your knowledge base is in order to prepare you for the final objective assessment. If you fail the objective assessment you’ll have to complete remediation work before your course instructor will allow you to take a second attempt at it. In addition to objective assessments, you will have to complete PowerPoint’s, video demonstrations or teaching, and of course written papers throughout the program. It is competency based and self paced so if you are motivated you can complete it very quickly.

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33 minutes ago, weiny4089 said:

Pretests are necessary before attempting to take the objective assessments. Protests help you get understanding of where your knowledge base is in order to prepare you for the final objective assessment. If you fail the objective assessment you’ll have to complete remediation work before your course instructor will allow you to take a second attempt at it. In addition to objective assessments, you will have to complete PowerPoint’s, video demonstrations or teaching, and of course written papers throughout the program. It is competency based and self paced so if you are motivated you can complete it very quickly.

I wonder if my education would be as good as another school if I finish it so Fast. Fast sounds good and financially wise but I also want a great education not just the letters after my name. It’s hard to decide. 

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

This is my 2 cents. Competency based programs allows students to move quickly through these programs because they are able to demonstrate that they have a good bit of knowledge in these areas already, due to past professional/personal experiences. What one knows helps to enhance the research process of these courses, making it easier to complete requirements on a faster timeline.

I'm currently completing another competency-based program, but the concept is the same: if I know it, then somebody else has already written an article or book about it. I just have to locate it to support my position in the papers that I write, and then restate (paraphrase) it in my own words. 

If you are a practicing nurse, you already know a good bit about what is expected in these programs because those before us have contributed to the policies and practices that we must follow on the job every single day.

Trust and believe that you will learn something new in each paper that you write. The only thing that you must bring is your own supply of motivation and determination. 

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
39 minutes ago, LilyRN99 said:

I wonder if my education would be as good as another school if I finish it so Fast. Fast sounds good and financially wise but I also want a great education not just the letters after my name. It’s hard to decide. 

Seat time is a poor measure of quality. 

Also this- just because SOME people finish competency-based programs quickly (by virtue of prior knowledge) does not mean that all do. I had no research background when I did the program. I took a LONG time to complete that course because it was all new material to me. Other courses where I did have a background (I had 3 decades of practice under my belt when I enrolled) I was able to complete more quickly. 

Also this- A typical three credit-hour brick and mortar course requires 48 hours of 'seat time' plus out of class work. How productive is that 48 hours of seat time for a course where you already know most of the material? What if the new material is all contained in the final 2 weeks / 6 hours of the course, but you are forced to sit through the first 14 because that's how they measure your learning? See why competency-based makes sense? 

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