MGH IHP DE NP 2018

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Hi There!

Thought I'd start a thread for anyone applying for Fall 2018 entry. I'm about 3/4 of my way through the application and feeling a bit anxious and nervous about it all but mostly excited! :)

Let me know what you end up choosing! I'm in a similar situation.

From talking to current students, I found out that you aren't awarded your BSN until you graduate with the MSN. It's hard to break into Boston's healthcare job market as a student and new grad without experience. Even if you wanted to work, you might not be able to find a job especially since you won't have your degree yet. You might be able to work as a personal care assistant, just not as an RN.

Switching specialties might work like other schools, where you have to apply to the other specialty? I'm not entirely sure though.

Hi! I saw that you were in a similar boat with Columbia. It's such a tough choice...What are your pros/cons that you're considering with most weight?

Really good to know about the fact that the BSN is only awarded after the whole program is complete. Thanks for sharing that! Do you know if it's a seamless transition from the BSN to the MSN component (i.e with no semester break in between?) - hard to tell from the website.

I personally was keen to gain some RN experience before MSN matriculation, especially because it's hard to justify jumping into NP roles without any real prior work experience as an RN. What are your thoughts?

If there are any other things that you'd be willing to share from your chats with current students, I'd love to learn more - how did you get in touch with them?

Thanks again :) & good luck with your decision.

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Hi! I saw that you were in a similar boat with Columbia. It's such a tough choice...What are your pros/cons that you're considering with most weight?

Really good to know about the fact that the BSN is only awarded after the whole program is complete. Thanks for sharing that! Do you know if it's a seamless transition from the BSN to the MSN component (i.e with no semester break in between?) - hard to tell from the website.

I personally was keen to gain some RN experience before MSN matriculation, especially because it's hard to justify jumping into NP roles without any real prior work experience as an RN. What are your thoughts?

If there are any other things that you'd be willing to share from your chats with current students, I'd love to learn more - how did you get in touch with them?

Thanks again :) & good luck with your decision.

Columbia - NYC, MSN then DNP, 4 years, 268k tuition or could be slightly lower, 67k total scholarships, can work during program and gain experience, can sub-specialize, Columbia grads sought after in NYC so easy to find job during DNP portion, ivy league, last year is a residency = working = more experience, no textbooks (according to my friend), student-run clinic to volunteer at, top clinical sites, probably easier for higher grades, program known across country, on-campus housing, career services and job fairs, potentially 60k or more from working and the paid residency

MGH - Boston, BSN then MSN, 3 years, 128k tuition, 90k scholarship, hard to find jobs in Boston, no degrees until graduation so no working anyway, Boston hospitals don't want new grads/ students/ need experience, no experience but way lower debt, textbooks required that are expensive, program probably only known in northeast, clinical sites not as good as NYC, small school in nice area, no on-campus housing, rent could potentially be higher

I'm from California, so I would like to return and live with my family while paying off my debt. I have some relatives in healthcare and one of them thinks I should choose the cheaper option. He said if I go to Columbia, I should consider joining the Air Force as a commissioned officer afterwards for 3-4 years to pay off my debt. As of right now, I'm not really sure which school I should choose.

Yeah, it is. You can see it here: 217-218 Curriculum Plan - DEN - Family Specialty NP | MGH Institute of Health Professions

If you want to see the other specialty plans: Direct-Entry Master of Science in Nursing Curricula | MGH Institute of Health Professions

From what I've researched, there will always be people who don't like that you did things differently from them. If you're going to be an acute care NP, then previous RN experience would be beneficial (and is required for most programs anyway). As an FNP, I don't think RN experience would help that much.

I searched up their Facebook group and someone messaged me haha. You can read previous students' experiences in past MGH threads here too.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

MGH - Boston, BSN then MSN, 3 years, 128k tuition, 90k scholarship, hard to find jobs in Boston, no degrees until graduation so no working anyway, Boston hospitals don't want new grads/ students/ need experience, no experience but way lower debt, textbooks required that are expensive, program probably only known in northeast, clinical sites not as good as NYC, small school in nice area, no on-campus housing, rent could potentially be higher

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Seems to me like you heart is set on Columbia anyway, where did you read no degrees until graduation for MGH? You complete the BSN portion of the program in the first year and take the NCLEX at that point, I know two people that worked as RN's per diem while completing the NP portion of the program after getting their RN license. Also the program is not "only known in the Northeast"....MGH is one of the top three hospitals in the country and the largest hospital based research program in the world, you think a school founded by this hospital would only be known in New England? Moreover there are plenty of job opportunities for NP's in the Northeast it really just comes down to your specialty and the kind of work you want to do. Also MGH has pretty good clinical sites as well. I am not sure you researched that school as much as you claim you did.

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I'm not set on Columbia, but Columbia has more benefits in my opinion. It's just the cost that's the major deterrant.

I spoke to current students and emailed the program director. I'm not blind, I read the website as well as the schedule of classes, which I linked earlier. Yes, you complete the BSN portion of the program in the first year, but you don't receive your BSN degree until you graduate from the MSN portion and receive the MSN degree. This is what the email stated: "DEN Students receive both the BSN and MSN degrees at commencement when they graduate. Although you actually complete the generalist level education for the RN licensure exam after the first three semesters of the program, students must complete the entire MSN program to receive the actual diploma/degree." Again, a current student also told me this.

I was told by a current student that some people work during the MSN portion, but most people in her cohort don't. She said Boston's healthcare job market is hard to break into, since it's a bit saturated. She was working though and said they advised students to start as a PCA and hope for a promotion during that, since you don't have your BSN yet and it can be difficult to find a job because of that as well.

You don't think I know that about MGH the hospital? MGH the school hasn't been associated with the hospital since 1985. It's its own separate entity now. None of the people I've spoken to on the west coast who work in healthcare know of the program. They know of the hospital, however. I know there are plenty of job opportunities in the northeast, but it's going to be quite difficult to get a job within Boston without any experience. I'm not looking to work in the northeast after the program regardless.

I never said that MGH doesn't have good clinical sites, just that they're not as good as Columbia's. This is what was told to me by someone in Columbia's program, whose friend attended MGH at the same time.

I'm not sure why you got so defensive over my own personal list that someone else asked for. Someone asked for my opinion and I posted it, but nobody asked for your opinion on what I thought. You didn't even know that little bit about the degrees. If you didn't research yourself and find out the information that I did, you don't need to try to insult me over it. I never claimed that I researched the school or any amount of research I did regardless. It's quite apparent that I've done more research than you have though.

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I live in Boston now in walking distance to the MGH IHP. Housing in Boston is pretty expensive in general- we pay $3,200 for a two bedroom in the North End. However, there are cheaper options. If you have any questions feel free to message me! I would suggest looking in Somerville- it is a little more North of the city but public transportation allows you to navigate easily- also look in South Boston

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Hi in terms of switching specialties- I've heard from current students that it is possible but very difficult to do so. There has to be a 1 to 1 switch. For example- if you are in the FNP program and wish to pursue an AG-ACNP program- someone would have to leave that specialty and want to switch into family.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
I'm not set on Columbia, but Columbia has more benefits in my opinion. It's just the cost that's the major deterrant.

I spoke to current students and emailed the program director. I'm not blind, I read the website as well as the schedule of classes, which I linked earlier. Yes, you complete the BSN portion of the program in the first year, but you don't receive your BSN degree until you graduate from the MSN portion and receive the MSN degree. This is what the email stated: "DEN Students receive both the BSN and MSN degrees at commencement when they graduate. Although you actually complete the generalist level education for the RN licensure exam after the first three semesters of the program, students must complete the entire MSN program to receive the actual diploma/degree." Again, a current student also told me this.

I was told by a current student that some people work during the MSN portion, but most people in her cohort don't. She said Boston's healthcare job market is hard to break into, since it's a bit saturated. She was working though and said they advised students to start as a PCA and hope for a promotion during that, since you don't have your BSN yet and it can be difficult to find a job because of that as well.

You don't think I know that about MGH the hospital? MGH the school hasn't been associated with the hospital since 1985. It's its own separate entity now. None of the people I've spoken to on the west coast who work in healthcare know of the program. They know of the hospital, however. I know there are plenty of job opportunities in the northeast, but it's going to be quite difficult to get a job within Boston without any experience. I'm not looking to work in the northeast after the program regardless.

I never said that MGH doesn't have good clinical sites, just that they're not as good as Columbia's. This is what was told to me by someone in Columbia's program, whose friend attended MGH at the same time.

I'm not sure why you got so defensive over my own personal list that someone else asked for. Someone asked for my opinion and I posted it, but nobody asked for your opinion on what I thought. You didn't even know that little bit about the degrees. If you didn't research yourself and find out the information that I did, you don't need to try to insult me over it. I never claimed that I researched the school or any amount of research I did regardless. It's quite apparent that I've done more research than you have though.

Right...first of all I replied to you not because anybody asked. None of what you wrote is news to me or most of the people here, nor is the anecdotal info that your friends out west provided relevant. But if you are so sensitive that you equate a retort to "insults" then you probably shouldn't even bother with me. By the way, MGH is where I am going and where one of my mentors went so I my opinion is not from anecdotes.

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Right...first of all I replied to you not because anybody asked. None of what you wrote is news to me or most of the people here, nor is the anecdotal info that your friends out west provided relevant. But if you are so sensitive that you equate a retort to "insults" then you probably shouldn't even bother with me. By the way, MGH is where I am going and where one of my mentors went so I my opinion is not from anecdotes.

I'm not sure why you keep misreading. I said that I spoke to current students of the program. I also spoke to one person who graduated from the program. I never said they were from my "friends out west." The only thing I said relating to people on the west coast is that the ones I've spoken to don't know about MGH's program, but know of the hospital only. If it's not news to you, then why were you trying to debate the fact that you don't get your BSN until graduation and trying to debate everything else I stated? Those are still things that need to be kept in mind when choosing schools. Like I've stated already, somebody asked me for my own personal pros/ cons and I replied to them.

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I used to live in a 3 bedroom apartment in Somerville (near Davis Square) for $2,900/month, which came out to ~$967/month for each of us. Medford is also another affordable option and close to the Orange Line that will take you to North Station train stop. I heard that there is a free shuttle that runs from North Station to MGHIHP campus! Looking forward to meeting everyone this Saturday!

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Sure. Also, MGH IHP became a separate entity because it had to, it was no longer small enough to just be an educational program within the hospital; both MGH and MGH IHP are still owned by the same parent entity which is Partners Healthcare and to this very day the school has access to MGH related resourcesas well as other Partners Healthcare affiliated hospitals. Moreover, like I said you get your RN license three semesters in so it is possible to find work as I have seen myself. But like you said I cannot debate your opinion, I can however, tell you facts. Both are very good programs it all comes down to which one is realistically feasible and a person's situation.

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I used to live in a 3 bedroom apartment in Somerville (near Davis Square) for $2,900/month, which came out to ~$967/month for each of us. Medford is also another affordable option and close to the Orange Line that will take you to North Station train stop. I heard that there is a free shuttle that runs from North Station to MGHIHP campus! Looking forward to meeting everyone this Saturday!

Thank you for the housing suggestions! Unfortunately I won't be at Open House, but if most of you do get a chance to meet/create a Facebook group, it would be great to post the link on here for those of us that can't make it!

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

If you don't mind taking the train there are other neighboring towns besides Somerville that cost less but you would be looking at a commute, I live in MA about 35 minutes north of the city and rent for me is quite cheap however I will be driving into boston and taking the train when school starts

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