Georgetown University MSN-FNP January 2014 Part time Cohort

canucks090 · Feb 1, 2014

Hi brence30! Thanks for the update, and CONGRATS! I am in the fulltime FNP program at Georgetown and am just about to start my first clinical rotation and second semester! I will be working part time in a family clinic (16hrs/week, manageable) at the start of this semester. I feel much better about attending this school after what you said! Thanks!

Futurenp12 · Feb 10, 2014

Hey Brence30,

So 73 people in your class didn't make it? I wasn't concerned about the cost until you exposed the attrition rate greater than 50%. I had an admissions counselor tell me that 95% of admitted students graduate. I would hate to make it half way through the program and owe $35,000 or more in student loans. Not sure I want to apply now.

canucks090 · Feb 10, 2014

Hi Futurenp12, the admissions counselor was likely correct about the 90% completion. The thing is is that many people switch to part time/fulltime and vice versa which changes which cohort track they are in. Also in the beginning I believe a number of students did not get placed in a semester so they had to wait a semester until they received a clinical assignment. I will say the the clinical placement team is 10x better than how I heard it was in the beginning. They've hired many more placement staff members, and are pretty good at finding placements (especially if you have suggestions for placement sites).

2015 · Feb 16, 2014

Futurenp, am in GU and I can attest to how supportive they are. They won't let a student just fail. Their aim is to help you succeed and be an awesome NP. I have fantastic instructors. They give constructive feedback and are willing to meet you one on one to help you in areas you are struggling in. You are not just a number at GU. You are the number. Schools with low attrition rate do not make it to the list of best online masters nursing programs. They only admit students they know can make it through their rigorous program.

Foreverinschool · Mar 6, 2014

Hi, I've applied for the July and September 2014 cohorts… Would anyone be willing to share what type of applicant you were when accepted (GPA, experience) etc. I am finishing my BSN this Spring and am worried that no RN work history may make an un qualified applicant.

Thanks in advance-

JulianaRN · Mar 28, 2014

It makes me happy to hear someone talking positive about GU! = D i am starting in May and i could not be happier! I do understand that different people have different circumstances and perspective. I am full time and will not be working, but i am also a new nurse, i have 4 year experience as a Phlebotomist both inpatient and out at a family practice, but no nursing experience, other than school at UT El Paso. Any advice for this baby nurse starting the FNP program? Thank you!!!

canucks090 · Apr 17, 2014

Hi Juliana,

Congrats on getting into the program! I will say that there are a lot of opinions about nurses that go into advance practice programs with no nursing experience. I think I can partially speak to this in that I only had one year of nursing experience before starting the FNP program. I can tell you that there are some benefits to having experience, but at certain times, it doesnt matter. Here's some reasons:

Pro's to having experience:

-It depends on the unit you worked on. I worked on a Cardiovascuclar Unit and a Step-Down ICU. My assessment skills are a little bit more familiar to me.

-I feel I can easily recognize certain conditions in the primary care setting (i.e. differentiating presentation of chest pain, a-fib, sepsis, etc...)

Reasons where the experience hasnt been too helpful:

-Primary care is VERY different than acute care. I can tell you that I found in my first clinical rotation in the FNP program, I felt that I was in a different wold. The priorities are different for patient care, and the patient presentation/approach to care is very different.

-My goals are to identify the problem vs. manage the problem. Nursing experience was helpful in recognizing pathological presentation, but not necessarily in leading the care for the patient.

All in all, everyone comes to the same level in the end. You may have to work harder in some areas than those with more experience, but you will also have some advantages as you are still in "school mode" and you don't have to readjust to the demands of life/school balance. I hope this helps! :)

JulianaRN · Apr 17, 2014

Very true Canucks090, Thank you so much for your feedback.

You are absolutely right, obviously whatever you got to learn with ANY experience you have had is definitely an advantage, specially when it comes to those assessments and what to recognize.

I do have some medical background, not in nursing, but in phlebotomy and laboratory processing, but it has helped with terminology throughout school, and i worked at a family care practice.

I am for sure focusing on the positive, like the fact that i just graduated, compared to people that are nervous because the last time they were in school was 5 or 10 years ago, so they are worried about classes like pathophysiology, which is intense to say the least, but i am still in that school mode as you say, and i had to also recently study for the NCLEX also, which i did with the HURST review online, and it was excellent, i learned things that i did not even learn at school, so it is still fresh in my mind.

But yes! thank you very much! you give us newbies hope lol.

And the fact that they even take new nurses with no experience into the program speaks volumes, because also, what kind of experience is needed? let's say they have 5 years experience, at an ortho floor, compared to 10 year experience at a med surg unit, like who says what is important and what is not.

I also have plenty of life experience, even tho' i am pretty young, which has helped in so many ways, also with time management and priority setting, so it is all relative, and everyone is different and works in different ways.

Thank you so much for the feedback, i wish you luck in the rest of your program, i will be starting soon, and i am nervous, but SUPER excited.

satisfiedwithURcare? · Apr 17, 2014

I've recently begun the application process to both Georgetown and Simmons FNP programs. After reading all the comments on this thread, I have to wonder if I may be wasting my time...

I obtained my BSN from UofCincinnati in 2006, and have since been working in a LDRP unit. My BSN GPA was 3.6. nursing experience is inpatient, L&D, postpartum, and Special Care Nursery RN; and outpatient, in OB triage. While my alwaysandforever nursing love lies in women's and neonatal health care and education, I don't believe advanced practice in those areas (WHNP, CNM or NNP) as the best fit for me and my family, at this time. My hope is to use a degree as FNP to help maintain gainful employment while pursuing my ultimate goal, which is to teach in academic settings. That's to say, educators/faculty don't make enough money for an investment in a MSNEd program to be sound, and I'm hoping working as NP will allow greater return on my investment.

All of that said, this has me worried:

Reasons where the experience hasnt been too helpful:
-Primary care is VERY different than acute care. I can tell you that I found in my first clinical rotation in the FNP program, I felt that I was in a different wold. The priorities are different for patient care, and the patient presentation/approach to care is very different.
-My goals are to identify the problem vs. manage the problem.

I have *nothing* but OB, INpatient experience. I work nights at a moderately paced level 2 hospital. As any OB RN will tell you, I am used to managing patients' care by myself, and calling docs in only to catch babies, operate, or discharge triage patients (after we've run lab work, etc. that I probably suggested).

Nursing experience was helpful in recognizing pathological presentation, but not necessarily in leading the care for the patient.

I'm not trying to minimize the work that OBs and CNMs do, but I feel strongly that, particularly in triage, my job is exactly leading patient care.

Will I find FNP a poor fit? (If I can even manage to get accepted?!) Many moons ago, I considered myself a strong student. But I'm not yet 30, and I'm feeling ancient! My last math course was AP Stats- MY JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL. I passed the AP exam with a high enough score that I didn't have to take stats in undergrad. Is that acceptable? It's been more than a decade! Will I be enough?

canucks090 · Apr 17, 2014

Sorry, I will clarify those statements in the previous message.

Nurses are very much LEADERS in the patient's care, and many times make decisions on treatment based on rapid assessments. My point was not to minimize the role of the RN, who many times in the glue that keeps the healthcare team together.

My point was that the RN role is different than as a NP. Those experiences you mentioned in OB will definitely be helpful in NP school. For example, the structure of my assessment is different from that of an RN. You will see this difference, especially when you begin clinicals in an FNP role.

Another important point is that when I am a FNP, I will still consider myself to be a nurse. My foundation is nursing, and the education in FNP school truly follows a nursing model. As always your experience as an RN will always have some benefits when you are in FNP school. Also, you ARE NOT ANCIENT :) and you should definitely continue on for a graduate degree if your truly desire it. I hope this helps!

2015 · Apr 27, 2014

Scenario 1. A new nurse with no nursing experience.

Pros:

1. Your brain is well exercised so you will grasp new concepts faster than a nurse with 10 years experience who hasn't done an exam since nclex. It takes a bit of time to remove the cobwebs from the brain.

2. Your patho, health assessment and research classes are still fresh in your head. You can scan through the textbook for new information than reading it in it's entirety.

Scenario 2. Nurse with experience (that's where I fall under)

1. I can make up clinical scenarios perfectly. I can literally design my patient's diagnosis, symptoms etc very accurately coz I have seen these patients time and time again. Very helpful for health assessment and pathophysiology

2. It helps in exams when you get that question that you never read about but can relate from clinical experience.

Am sure there are more points to add to this.....what I can say is, any advantage that any of these two nurses have, cancels out and puts both of them at the same level to compete fairly.

TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN · May 5, 2014

I've recently begun the application process to both Georgetown and Simmons FNP programs. After reading all the comments on this thread, I have to wonder if I may be wasting my time...
I obtained my BSN from UofCincinnati in 2006, and have since been working in a LDRP unit. My BSN GPA was 3.6. nursing experience is inpatient, L&D, postpartum, and Special Care Nursery RN; and outpatient, in OB triage. While my alwaysandforever nursing love lies in women's and neonatal health care and education, I don't believe advanced practice in those areas (WHNP, CNM or NNP) as the best fit for me and my family, at this time. My hope is to use a degree as FNP to help maintain gainful employment while pursuing my ultimate goal, which is to teach in academic settings. That's to say, educators/faculty don't make enough money for an investment in a MSNEd program to be sound, and I'm hoping working as NP will allow greater return on my investment.
All of that said, this has me worried:
I have *nothing* but OB, INpatient experience. I work nights at a moderately paced level 2 hospital. As any OB RN will tell you, I am used to managing patients' care by myself, and calling docs in only to catch babies, operate, or discharge triage patients (after we've run lab work, etc. that I probably suggested).
I'm not trying to minimize the work that OBs and CNMs do, but I feel strongly that, particularly in triage, my job is exactly leading patient care.
Will I find FNP a poor fit? (If I can even manage to get accepted?!) Many moons ago, I considered myself a strong student. But I'm not yet 30, and I'm feeling ancient! My last math course was AP Stats- MY JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL. I passed the AP exam with a high enough score that I didn't have to take stats in undergrad. Is that acceptable? It's been more than a decade! Will I be enough?

Did you ever get your acceptance letters?