Hi. I am new to the forum. I apologize in advance if this question has been asked a million times. I tried the search function and didn't find what I was looking for.
I graduate this Spring and will receive a BS in Chemistry from a well established public university in California. I don't really see myself pursuing a career in chemistry and feel that healthcare is more aligned with my interests. I recently found out about entry masters programs in nursing and am considering taking that path. Does anyone have any general information they can give me regarding those programs?
For example: average gpa, GRE score, and clinical hours of accepted students?
How hard are they to get into vs. MD or PA programs?
Oh cool! I was hired as a medical scribe last year but decided not to move forward with it and I'm currently waiting for a job offer as an ER tech ☺ï¸
That's awesome. Sounds like you are a few steps ahead of me with regards to clinical experience. I haven't been able to invest much time into looking for a paid position because the curriculum for senior chemistry courses is quite demanding. I am also tied up with doing chemical research for my university under one of my old professors.
I apologize, I don't think i'm getting my message across clearly. I'm better with numbers than words. I'm not looking for any information on PA or MD programs. I'm just saying that i've done research on those and have a better understanding of what kind of applicant they are looking for. But, because it wasn't until just recently that I found out about masters in nursing programs for non-nurses (MSN programs for people that don't have a BSN, but do have a bachelors degree in another field) I don't really know much about what kind of applicants they are looking for.
Two programs that I am interested so far are: Masters Entry Clinical Nurse program at UCLA and Masters Entry Program in Nursing at UCSF
Aside from the requirements listed on their websites what else do they tend to look for? Students with lots of healthcare hours? volunteer hours? community service?
Of course each school is different in their own way, but there must be a trend in what type of applicant they are looking for.
Hi...I don't know if this will help you much, but here goes. I am applying for the CNL (Clinical Nurse Leader) program at a school in Georgia. I've been invited in for an interview, which is a good sign, or so I'm told.
My undergrad GPA is a 3.2, my graduate GPA is a 3.6, my prerequisite GPA right now is 4.0. The minimum requirement is 3.0 overall.
My MAT score was 450. The minimum requirement is 400 for MAT, 290 for GRE.
I have no clinical hours, no healthcare experience at all. I am coming from an education background. I have a bachelors degree in business, a bachelors in education, and a masters in education.
Also, shadowing an FNP or PA, or whatever program you're applying to looks good on your application. It shows that you're interested in knowing more about the position.
I am currently enrolled in a Master of Nursing program, expected to graduate this December. I live in Minnesota, and in the Twin Cities, there are at least 3 similar programs:
University of Minnesota (16 months): They have a great reputation for their school of nursing. While grades are important, they're not everything. They stress that they look at a holistic view of each applicant, rather than focusing on one area. My GRE scores, for example are laughable. I scored in the 19th percentile in math and the 49th percentile in english. However, I had a 4.0 in my prerequisites, great letters of recommendation, a solid essay, and got accepted. I also had no nursing experience since 2005 and no related volunteer work. The U will do what ever it takes to ensure that you succeed.
St. Kates is about a 2 year program. I hear it is easier to get into, but once you're in, the faculty makes it difficult for you to stay in. They have benchmark exams and you may be forced to leave if you're not meeting their standards.
Metro State University. I don't know much about the details for this school. It may be a three year program.
I considered an Accelerated BSN-to-MSN type of program and I'm glad I chose to simply pursue a 2nd bachelor's and went BSN as a post-bacc. The accelerated pace might have been okay but I have heard, and continue to hear, from other RNs that these "RN mills" put out very poorly prepared nurses. It was a little suspect that they wanted minimal experience but the cost of the program was astronomical: in short, they just wanted me and my money. With that said, it did not seem that competitive to get into such a program (compared to my program, where allegedly 800+ applications were submitted and only 44 of us were chosen). They were even willing to let certain due dates slide for me because I was looking into the program a little late. Granted, this is a good school with a good reputation but for the dollar it simply was not worth it (for me -- for others, I'm sure it has been amazing).
I would caution you to look into how competitive the job market for nurses is where you are. That's the true caveat. You can get a great education but if you come out and aren't prepared to find a job, then what was it for? I have had to kill myself doing extracurricular activities (read: I had 4 jobs at once - only 1 paid - for nearly 2 years) to get my face out there and to network as hard as I can to make sure I just have my foot in the door at a minimum. It's been a hustle and, if it weren't for the fact that I absolutely fell head over heels in love with nursing, I would be kicking myself for not looking more into allied health professions or other alternatives (i.e. ultrasound tech or something related). Job competitiveness is what you really need to be looking into.
Hi...I don't know if this will help you much, but here goes. I am applying for the CNL (Clinical Nurse Leader) program at a school in Georgia. I've been invited in for an interview, which is a good sign, or so I'm told.
My undergrad GPA is a 3.2, my graduate GPA is a 3.6, my prerequisite GPA right now is 4.0. The minimum requirement is 3.0 overall.
My MAT score was 450. The minimum requirement is 400 for MAT, 290 for GRE.
I have no clinical hours, no healthcare experience at all. I am coming from an education background. I have a bachelors degree in business, a bachelors in education, and a masters in education.
Thanks for the response. That's very encouraging. My grades are a bit on the average side so I really plan to shine in the other areas you mentioned.
I am currently enrolled in a Master of Nursing program, expected to graduate this December. I live in Minnesota, and in the Twin Cities, there are at least 3 similar programs:
University of Minnesota (16 months): They have a great reputation for their school of nursing. While grades are important, they're not everything. They stress that they look at a holistic view of each applicant, rather than focusing on one area. My GRE scores, for example are laughable. I scored in the 19th percentile in math and the 49th percentile in english. However, I had a 4.0 in my prerequisites, great letters of recommendation, a solid essay, and got accepted. I also had no nursing experience since 2005 and no related volunteer work. The U will do what ever it takes to ensure that you succeed.
St. Kates is about a 2 year program. I hear it is easier to get into, but once you're in, the faculty makes it difficult for you to stay in. They have benchmark exams and you may be forced to leave if you're not meeting their standards.
Metro State University. I don't know much about the details for this school. It may be a three year program.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Thank you for the response. I'm glad to hear programs like to look at the big picture. My grades are pretty average, but i've gotten all A's in my pre-reqs so far. I'm working hard to shine in the other areas.
I considered an accelerated BSN-to-MSN type of program and I'm glad I chose to simply pursue a 2nd bachelor's and went BSN as a post-bacc. The accelerated pace might have been okay but I have heard, and continue to hear, from other RNs that these "RN mills" put out very poorly prepared nurses. It was a little suspect that they wanted minimal experience but the cost of the program was astronomical: in short, they just wanted me and my money. With that said, it did not seem that competitive to get into such a program (compared to my program, where allegedly 800+ applications were submitted and only 44 of us were chosen). They were even willing to let certain due dates slide for me because I was looking into the program a little late. Granted, this is a good school with a good reputation but for the dollar it simply was not worth it (for me -- for others, I'm sure it has been amazing).
I would caution you to look into how competitive the job market for nurses is where you are. That's the true caveat. You can get a great education but if you come out and aren't prepared to find a job, then what was it for? I have had to kill myself doing extracurricular activities (read: I had 4 jobs at once - only 1 paid - for nearly 2 years) to get my face out there and to network as hard as I can to make sure I just have my foot in the door at a minimum. It's been a hustle and, if it weren't for the fact that I absolutely fell head over heels in love with nursing, I would be kicking myself for not looking more into allied health professions or other alternatives (i.e. ultrasound tech or something related). Job competitiveness is what you really need to be looking into.
Thanks for your input. I will definitely take that into consideration. My next shift at the hospital I will be sure to ask nurses for their input on this topic.
I was recently accepted to Azusa Pacific's Entry Level Masters program in addition to Loma Linda's BSN program. I graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a 2.83, however my last two semesters there were around a 3.5 average. I spent this past year finishing up my pre-reqs and retaking any classes I got C's in and have around a 3.8 average for those 3 quarters. I scored an 83 on the TEAS and 91 on the Critical Thinking exam. Never took the GRE. I have hospital volunteer experience (less than 100 hours) as well as community service work. I also have my CNA certification. I've always thought of myself as a "middle of the road" applicant because of my low undergrad GPA, however I applied to APU's Summer 2016 term and they accepted me a semester early for Spring. Don't let people discourage you about the competitiveness of schools- if I can do, anyone can :] Find a few schools you want to apply to and meet with their program director or director of admissions to figure out where you stand and what you can do to improve your chances of being accepted. Even after your application is complete, make calls to ensure everything has been received and push for an interview. I didn't get my interview with APU until 2 days before the committee met to make acceptance decisions because they didn't have my spring grades and felt my GPA wasn't high enough. Thankfully, I had emailed them a month prior after submitting my transcripts asking if they wanted me to send in another copy once grades had been posted and they told me no. I was able to forward these emails, expedite a set of transcripts, and was given an interview the following morning. Hope this helps and gives you an idea of those who are in the same boat as you!
I just private messaged you :). Am applying to the u of m program. Oh and yes, from my understanding the msn and the bsn option at metro both take 3 years!
I am currently interning at one of my local hospitals and getting hands on experience. But as soon as i graduate this spring I will look for a full time/part time position. I was considering medical scribe, but what I would really like to do is ER Tech.
Just curious, what sort of "interning" and "hands on experience" are you doing with absolutely no clinical qualifications? There are a bazillion legal barriers (focused on protection of vulnerable patients) that prevent this in my state.
My organization hires EMTs and Paramedics as ED Techs. That may be an option for you.
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glopez92
10 Posts
That's awesome. Sounds like you are a few steps ahead of me with regards to clinical experience. I haven't been able to invest much time into looking for a paid position because the curriculum for senior chemistry courses is quite demanding. I am also tied up with doing chemical research for my university under one of my old professors.