MGH Direct Entry MSN 2013

U.S.A. Massachusetts

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You are reading page 3 of MGH Direct Entry MSN 2013

steve21021

77 Posts

I think it was the MSN program that a lot of us were waiting for. Which program were you applying for?

adt913

75 Posts

I'm anxious!

Pianoman223

45 Posts

Hey folks,

Good luck to those of you who applied and are awaiting decision. I'm currently in the 2nd semester of this program (Direct Entry MSN) and am happy to answer any questions you might have.

meep05

137 Posts

Pianoman:

How do you like the program so far? What is your speciality? How strenous is the program? Did you get any financial aid, or did many people in your class get financial aid? How are your clinicals. Thanks!

Pianoman223

45 Posts

Hi meep05,

I love the program so far. It is not without its flaws, of course, as any program will be. So far there haven't been any "dealbreakers" - really, the most annoying thing is the disorganization, but you get used to it. Disorganization in terms of relatively small things - confusion about which books to buy, which version of the syllabus is the most current (haha, I know), which room we'll be in on which day, etc. These are very minor things and they get ironed out - you have to sort of let go of any anxieties and proceed week-by-week.

My classmates are wonderful; the faculty constantly encourage us to compete with ourselves and not with our classmates. There is a great sense of support and camaraderie within our class (~100 people) which I especially appreciate, since I went to an undergrad that had over 30,000 people.

My first semester was very do-able, in fact, I found I had more free time than I imagined. You can get all A's if you work hard and plan your time well. Yes, there is a lot of information, but after first semester is over, you realize, "Good Lord, I learned a TON!" at the same time, you realize "Good Lord, there's so much I DON'T know!" This will be a theme through our schooling and our career. =)

My two clinicals were very different. The psychiatric clinical (they call it "biobehavioral") was at MGH itself and was amazing and unforgettable. Besides having one of the most caring, inspiring, knowledgeable and encouraging clinical instructors (she is one of the people you will never forget throughout your career), I learned more than I ever imagined, and saw a huge variety of patients. Many patients there had horrifying, sad stories, but also hopeful stories of recovery and re-integration as functioning individuals. It was very emotionally fatiguing but rewarding. It sometimes made me even want to switch into the Psychiatric NP track (I'm adult/gero). Nonetheless, you'll learn that there is no "psych patient"; everywhere in health care you will encounter patients who require psychological/psychiatric health care needs met.

My med/surg clinical (everyone has these clinicals at MGH, unlike psych clinicals, which are held at several different sites) was very rigorous. VERY rigorous. The instructor taught with an old-school drill sargeant mentality. There were days we thought we were the biggest oafs, and there were days where we felt great victories over small things (e.g., a patient [or their family member] thanking you for caring for them). But all-in-all, we learned a LOT on the clinical floors. They always told us that, while you may not remember the pathophysiology you study from a book or class, you will always remember the patient and how the pathophysiology presents within them. This is true, and very good advice to remember. After all, one of the definitions of nursing is treating a patient's response to illness.

One thing they don't tell you: For the med/surg clinical at MGH (Fridays), you have to visit your unit on the hospital the day before, and collect information about your assigned patient. Then, you must complete a pretty rigorous write-up of their condition and the course of their hospitalization, what you plan to do to care for them during your clinical day (the dreaded "nursing care plans"), as well as some general pathophysiology. This will literally take you hours. I thought 2nd year students were exaggerating or trying to intimidate us by saying this, but they were right - plan to spend a lot of hours on Thursday night doing clinical prep for your Friday clinical. It's tough because you're independently going through an individual's medical record (on an antiquated, confusing computer system), and there's so much information to wade through, so many abbreviations, and so many different notes to interpret and distill into a write-up. However, you will get better at it, over time, and it will help you learn a great deal. My advice, also, is to go visit the patient briefly explain to them that you are a nursing student that will be taking care of them tomorrow morning. Ask how they're feeling, if they're in pain, and wish them goodnight. This may sound cheesy, but it makes a BIG difference, because when you show up the next morning for clinical, you'll be a familiar face. Plus, it will help you get over any anxieties you may have about talking to patients on your own.

The History of Nursing Ideas class is not difficult, it is sort of a "breather" class, and if you come into it with a good and open attitude, you may find nursing history and nursing theorists to be interesting way to put context to your new career.

In terms of financial aid, everyone I know took out federal loans. There are merit scholarships, but they are assigned and you will find out with your acceptance letter whether you got any money. I.e., you do not actively apply for them.

I'm in my 2nd week of 2nd semester, and so far it seems like it will be much more work. They warned us that 1st semester is made to 'ease us in', and that 2nd is more rigorous. We'll see - I'll be happy to update you all.

Sorry for this ridiculously long post! I really hope you find it helpful and/or interesting; I remember last year the same feelings of excitement and anxiety of such an uncertain time, and how much I wished I'd had more information from an actual student. So I hope I can be able to provide that for you. :)

Let me know what other questions you have and I'll be happy to answer them.

meep05

137 Posts

Thank you so much for all your information!!! Sounds like your having a great experience so far. Now I'm just anxious to hear back!

vballtrumpeter

24 Posts

Thank you, Pianoman! Can't tell you how nice/useful it is to hear more ground-level info from a current student.

Specializes in Postpartum, Maternal/child.

Anyone talk to admissions lately and have a better idea of when we will find out out fate?

steve21021

77 Posts

per my email response:

"As the admissions cycle is well underway, there are currently no available updates to advise applicants regarding decisions. Please keep in mind that application decisions are planned to be available as of 8-10 weeks after the deadline."

anyone hear anything different?

Specializes in Postpartum, Maternal/child.

Broke down and called today.. No new news. Same quote from above 8-10 weeks. So hopefully in a week or two we'll hear

choco80

115 Posts

Hi guys - I am also playing the waiting game for the direct entry MSN program. I applied and was admitted two years ago but was unable to attend back then, so I am reapplying now. I can tell you that back then we received our acceptances via email, and they also followed up with a letter in the mail. Our due dates were a bit later then (I believe the app was due in Jan - this year it was due December 1) and we didn't hear until March or so. Good luck guys - hopefully we will all hear something soon!

adt913

75 Posts

i'm slightly stalking the admissions office asking how much longer until we hear our decisions...

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