Mount St. Mary's Accelerated BSN Fall 2008

sandraellen · Mar 5, 2009

Chris...are you sayig the CSUN program is over..kapoop? I applied there knowing it is very difficult to get into but was still waiting to hear from them...the accelerated program is no more? How did you learn this and when did it happen?

chris7 · Mar 5, 2009

Sandraellen, as I mentioned, I do not know CSUN's program status. Best bet is to call them. Let us know what you find out, okay? Much appreciated.

Here's the CCNE website... http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CCNE/reports/rptAccreditedPrograms.asp?state=CA&sFullName=California
CSUN is up and so is the Mount. My classmate related the story from her friend who was in the CSUN program, so I couldn't tell you for certain. Probably best to call them 818-677-2883. You have a 30% chance of getting into the Mount and less then 1% chance of getting into CSUN. Not new news, but it's best to apply to several programs.

sandraellen · Mar 5, 2009

If you go to the website of CCNE it says CSUN is accredited, and a new posting on the CSUN nursing website has NEW a large bold posting saying the the CCNE has accredited them. So I imagine they are getting lots of inquiry. I do not expect to get into CSUN , I do not expect an interview. My grades were not up to being one of 18 out of 300 applicants. But I applied anyway. I also applied there last year. I will most likely apply to SMU before the July 1st deadline. I was going to apply to the Mount but was trying to avoid having to take the religion courses. Who knows I may end up doing that. I wonder if people think the mount is better or the same as SMU since the cost seems about the same.

chris7 · Mar 5, 2009

Thanks for the info, Sandra. Not sure where SMU is, but SMC costs about 20k more over the Mount. SMC costs 5k for the 2yr program and you end up with and ADN. The Mount costs 45k for one yr but you earn a BSN and are working after 12 months. The second year you are finishing SMC, you would have been conservatively making 60k+ in a hospital. 45k-60k-5k= 20k more to attend SMC. Not to mention what it will cost you if you decide to go back to school to get your BSN. If I were you, I'd apply to as many schools as possible and take what you get... nursing is competative! Glendale College, College of the Canyons, and Pasadena City College have reputable ADN programs as well.

cinsocal · Mar 5, 2009

Our last 7 weeks at the Mount is our preceptorship. Since we'll be employed at Torrance that's where we'll do the preceptorship. You may know, but for the preceptorship, you basically pick the department where you want to start your career and shadow an RN during their regular shift 3 times/ week. I want to work in ICU, so that's where I'm doing my preceptorship. For employment, you give them your top 3 department choices and they usually give your first pick. The Versant Program is their 6 month new grad training program and they offer a list of departments aside from Med-Surg for new grads--here's the link: http://www.torrancememorial.org/versant_program.htm. Watch the video clip when you get a chance. You do sign a 30 month contract when if receive the scholarship.

Chris, again thanks for the info. I want to work in the ICU as well so this is very good news (If I get the scholarship from Torrance that is). Would you let us know how your experience there goes?

chris7 · Mar 5, 2009

Sure, it would be my pleasure to post updates here regarding my experience at Torrance. If you don't hear anything from me around July and you're wondering how it's going, I'm probably going to be swamped, but definitely shoot me an email reminder and I will respond here.

sandraellen · Mar 6, 2009

SMU is Samuel Merritt Univerisity ( Oakland based with satillite campus' in San Fran, San Mateo, and Sacramento). I t has an Accelerated BSN which I am interested in since I aleady have a BS in Kinesiology. It seems like the only jobs you can get with my major are low paying unless you go back to school for Physical Therapy ...that costs big bucks.....so I am trying the nursing route.

sandraellen · Mar 6, 2009

dmskoka...I got your message, I do not have rights to writing personal messages so I cant respond diredtly to you. Sorry, wish I could. I have been following your life on thses forums for the past few months. I am glad you finally got in to some schools. I guess I need to apply to more schools. I have not even considered out of state. Money of course being an issue. I have been working at a local hospital as an ER admitting rep. But I am leaving it to take a course in pathophysiology. They wont hold the job and I have to leave the area to take the patho class. I want to take it as an in-class as opposed to on line. So you have already taken Patho and Pharmacology for Samuel Merrit? I am wondering about Patho...everyone says it is the hardest class they took...whatcha think? And how about peoples opinions on pharmacology....and taking as an on-line course? I have not even applied to as many school as you and I am so stressed out..the GPA competition and the small numbers getting admitted...makes you feel really bad about yourself...when I read about everyones GPA's being so high I feel stupid just having a 3.0...I used to think that was good...it was ood for my major as it was a tough major. Thanks for letting me ramble on...:-)

chris7 · Mar 7, 2009

SMU is Samuel Merritt Univerisity ( Oakland based with satillite campus' in San Fran, San Mateo, and Sacramento). I t has an accelerated BSN which I am interested in since I aleady have a BS in Kinesiology. It seems like the only jobs you can get with my major are low paying unless you go back to school for Physical Therapy ...that costs big bucks.....so I am trying the nursing route.

I understand. It's never easy going back to school and arranging finances for it. School is such an irony to me--we study, work on reports and clinicals and we have to pay money for it. We have to pay to work. I wish there were a way around it, but if you're serious about nursing, I trust you will create a way to make it happen.

chris7 · Mar 7, 2009

dmskoka...I got your message, I do not have rights to writing personal messages so I cant respond diredtly to you. Sorry, wish I could. I have been following your life on thses forums for the past few months. I am glad you finally got in to some schools. I guess I need to apply to more schools. I have not even considered out of state. Money of course being an issue. I have been working at a local hospital as an ER admitting rep. But I am leaving it to take a course in pathophysiology. They wont hold the job and I have to leave the area to take the patho class. I want to take it as an in-class as opposed to on line. So you have already taken Patho and Pharmacology for Samuel Merrit? I am wondering about Patho...everyone says it is the hardest class they took...whatcha think? And how about peoples opinions on pharmacology....and taking as an on-line course? I have not even applied to as many school as you and I am so stressed out..the GPA competition and the small numbers getting admitted...makes you feel really bad about yourself...when I read about everyones GPA's being so high I feel stupid just having a 3.0...I used to think that was good...it was ood for my major as it was a tough major. Thanks for letting me ramble on...:-)

Advanced Med-Surg is the hardest course in my opinion. Pharm is relatively easy at the Mount. Sandra, some schools are more competative than others. CSUN didn't take anyone under 3.8 GPA or any pre-req "C's". You have a health-related degree and relevant work experience--I had neither of those. I have a degree in Spanish Literature and World Religions, which have nothing to do with science. I did have some hospital volunteer experience and humanitarian work. I had a few pre-req "C's". During my interview they questioned my academic competency and asked me what I would do if I was not accepted to the Mount. I told them that I was determined to be a nurse whether or not I was accepted. I planned to be a phlebotomist and EMT while retaking the "C" pre-reqs if I was not accepted. Though of course I wanted nothing more than to be admitted, I went in there with the attitude that it was not the end of the world if I didn't make it the first time through. The interviewer replied that she was impressed with my determination and planning. The point here is that not all programs focus solely on grades--the Mount at least looks at the overall student. They understand that book-smart people do not always make the best nurses. Getting into nursing school can be a roller coaster ride of emotions. Sure it's easy for me to talk about these things having been admitted, but the worries and anxiety do not diminish once you're in school. We are under the gun to perform. We've lost a few classmates who didn't earn 75% in a course. This program is a beast. It tests every fiber in my body. It's mentally and physically challenging in so many ways. A constant focus for me is to take care of myself and keep some semblance of balance. You're going through this experience, and you have a choice to be stressed and worried or you can believe in yourself and confidently take on this challenge. It may not happen your first time through. You may have to take some more courses to pad your GPA. If you have any C's or B's in pre-reqs, you may have to retake those course to try to earn A's. The pre-req GPA is much more important than your overall GPA, but again it's not everything.

empresz · Mar 9, 2009

I applied for Fall 2009. I was wondering when we should expect to hear a decision by?

chris7 · Mar 10, 2009

I applied for Fall 2009. I was wondering when we should expect to hear a decision by?

Look for an email end of april through may. Give them a call at the beginning of may to check in if you haven't received an interview invitation. They made decisions at the end of may and the first week of june. Double check with them regarding the decision date and also that they have all your documents. They lost my things several times!