Johns Hopkins or University of Maryland??

kimima01 · Dec 27, 2009

Research and apply to both schools. Speak with advisors and ask what makes their program different from the other. I remember asking around about which program was better (in D.C.) and I got a host of differing opinions which made me even more confused about where to go!

misssrblake · Dec 27, 2009

Thanks for the reply...I was accepted into both programs and of course the advisors from each school gave many pros about their program.. I wanted to gain some counsel from those who already went through the programs and can more accurately rate the school. Where did you end up attending?? Also University of Maryland's program is a MSN/CNL program..

RedXIII_ · Dec 28, 2009

My moms friend grad from Johns Hopkins (which is like one of the top school apparently). She said it's really great there. I'm just going to do the montgomery college path -_- i really just want to get in the field haha.

misssrblake · Dec 28, 2009

Did your moms friend say what was go great about JH?? Its really expensive!!

RedXIII_ · Dec 28, 2009

Well no she didn't tell me any of that sorry. I would go to Johns Hopkins because its a highly respected school, but if it's too expensive i'd go to maryland which is also highly respected. I'll see if i can get in contact with her and ask.

edit: Oh i found this website if you want to look through it.

http://www.studentsreview.com/MD/JHU_g.html

misssrblake · Dec 28, 2009

Thanks sooooooooo much!! Im about to check out the site now, thanks!

Agrippa · Jan 2, 2010

UMB is fantastic. I love it right now and I can't imagine Hopkins being any better, if at all, for me to justify somehow their ridiculous tuition.

For me it came down simply to that. Even as a cnl which charges graduate school tuition rates, it should be cheaper than jhu. Is the name worth 30k+ a year?

Jules A, MSN · Jan 3, 2010

i'd be very wary of the accelerated programs especially the msn. i have worked with 3 that are barely up to cna standards, imo, with next to no clinical skills. i've also worked with new graduate lpns that were far more skilled and knowledgeable. those quickie nursing degrees do a disservice to the patients, coworkers and the student also, imo.

Agrippa · Jan 3, 2010

i'd be very wary of the accelerated programs especially the msn. i have worked with 3 that are barely up to cna standards, imo, with next to no clinical skills. i've also worked with new graduate lpns that were far more skilled and knowledgeable. those quickie nursing degrees do a disservice to the patients, coworkers and the student also, imo.

i'm in a traditional program, but i take classes right next to cnls...those in the msn direct entry programs. despite whatever your anecdotal experiences may be, i think its a bit of an overstatement to say that they are barely up to cna standards. of course as new nurses, they won't immediately have all of the clinical skills. however that is something that is very learnable.

what you can't learn as easily, and what these cnls and other professionals who have come from other fields, is critical thinking skills. in large, they are more intelligent and can think on their own. of course a veteran lpn will be better than a cnl at first. but an lpn may know how to administer a medication or start an iv better, but they don't know the pharmacological method of action for the drug in the body. cnls and other higher prepared nurses add variety and a more rounded experience to the profession who can think and not just follow directions. if thats all nurses, do, then we might as well be replaced by machines.

Jules A, MSN · Jan 3, 2010

I'm in a traditional program, but I take classes right next to CNLs...those in the MSN direct entry programs. Despite whatever your anecdotal experiences may be, i think its a bit of an overstatement to say that they are barely up to CNA standards. Of course as new nurses, they won't immediately have all of the clinical skills. However that is something that is very learnable.
What you can't learn as easily, and what these CNLs and other professionals who have come from other fields, is critical thinking skills. In large, they are more intelligent and can think on their own. Of course a veteran LPN will be better than a cnl at first. But an LPN may know how to administer a medication or start an IV better, but they don't know the pharmacological method of action for the drug in the body. CNLs and other higher prepared nurses add variety and a more rounded experience to the profession who can THINK and not just follow directions. If thats all nurses, do, then we might as well be replaced by machines.

We can agree to disagree because as a working nurse it is no overstatement to say the second degree MSNs I have encountered are really struggling. Orientations have had to be extended. One didn't make it due to med errors. I have precepted many new grads and that is not the problem it is about being pushed through too quickly. Being impressed by the super intelligent isn't going to cut it when you need a competent team member. Knowing the pharmacological method of action isn't helping our patients or the team one bit if they are having a psychotic break and the nurse can't find, let alone administer an emergency IM injection. Fwiw their critical thinking is underdeveloped in favor of book smarts. I agree that clinical skills can be learned but imo it should be done in school and then honed on the floor not taught on the floor.

Agrippa · Jan 3, 2010

Well that may be so, but I don't see how that is the function of these new nurses going through an accelerated class. The traditional program is 24 months long and the accelerated is a 16, 21, or 23 month program. Few actually do the 16 month option and many that started there revert to the slower ones.

But all of the programs take the same classes and do the same amount of clinical hours as any other program. They just don't have winter and summer breaks. Your experience with these new cnls seems to be something that is ubiquitous with new nurses in general, not just cnls.