New entry-level Masters program at U of A!!

Hi, Congrats to all of you who were accepted to the program and begin this May! I am planning to apply this upcoming Oct. and was curious if any current students in this program can talk about the schedule? I went to the info. session and they said it was six days a week 7am-5pm. I understand it's at a gradate level and it's accelerated but would love to hear what a current student's experience is. Thanks in advance for your time!

Good news! I got the call I've been waiting for from the U of A--a seat has become available for the MEPN program. I start on the 19th. YAY!!!!!!!

I am applying for MEPN in October, and just wanted to know what cumulative and pre-req GPAs anyone who got in for 2014 had? My GPAs are above minimum but not awesome...

Thanks!

As an FYI they are changing the requirement for next year. Instead of cumm GPA, they will take last 60 units and prerequisite GPA.

Hello everyone,

I am currently a psychology student at the U of A, and I am on track to be graduating in December with a BA in psychology. I have a lot of pre-requisites required for the U of A MEPN program. Actually, I have only 2 more pre-reqs I need to complete in order to qualify for the program after finishing my degree. My GPA is 3.96 and my pre-req GPA so far is 4.0.

I have read this entire thread and am still not sure whether or not to apply for this program. The main thing that concerns me is being in a huge amount of debt. I am already at 20K for my undergrad coursework, and it seems like a huge burden to take on another 40+ thousand dollar loan to pay for a program which supposedly (according to a lot of people on here) gives you a BSN education.

So, to all the students who went to this program, I am wondering: are there any scholarships or sponsorships available, or are you for the most part stuck paying this 40K loan yourself? Also, do I need an Immunization record? I currently have my Fingerprint clearance card, but a rather old immunization record. I have a false-positive reaction to the TB test, which would require a chest x-ray, and I don't have medical insurance that would cover these rather expensive costs. Overall, would you say this program is worth it, or am I better off on another track (i.e. second bachelors, community college, etc)? My parents are basically pressuring me to do this program, but they aren't willing to pay for any of the costs associated with it, which is why I need answers to make the right decision. So, if there are any current/former students of this program who can share their experiences with me and answer my questions in a comprehensive way, I would greatly appreciate it. This is a very important decision, and I do not want to make the wrong one.

Are there any grads from the most recent cohort (graduated in 2014) that can give prospective UA MEPN students some insight. From reading this thread, it does not seem like students have very positive things to say, but I am applying and would like some current insight.

I have contacted UA and spoke with them, and of course they make their program sound good, but hearing form more students (current or past) would be very beneficial in making any future decisions.

Thanks in advance!!

I would also appreciate any input regarding the MEPN program that is more recent. In this thread, there was comments about how MEPN had to source its own clinicals, but it seems to me after attending the UA's events (interview and Q&A session) that that is not the case. So, things have changed in the last few years. So.....any new perspective would be greatly appreciated.

So, bump.

Thank you!!

Are there any grads from the most recent cohort (graduated in 2014) that can give prospective UA MEPN students some insight. From reading this thread, it does not seem like students have very positive things to say, but I am applying and would like some current insight.

I have contacted UA and spoke with them, and of course they make their program sound good, but hearing form more students (current or past) would be very beneficial in making any future decisions.

Thanks in advance!!

YES agreed. Please, any current grads (in 2014) who can offer more insight for the MEPN at U of A would be great.

I just got accepted for the MEPN 2015 class (Phoenix location). I would love to hear more regarding the program!

Main concerns:

(1) Do we arrange our own clinicals?

(2) How many clinicals hours do we do?

(3) What is the degree granted at the end? MS-RN or MSN?

(4) Does sponsorship still exist?

@bruins1990

I was also accepted at the Tucson campus.

I have done a lot of research on the program and may be able to answer a few of your questions.

The school arranges the clinical a for the students and I believe we would get a total of 1,000 hours (this info is based off U of A's application workshop PowerPoint I found online)

I emailed the CON after my acceptance to ask about the degree awarded and the response was:

"Graduates of the MEPN program receive a Master's of Science degree with an emphasis in entry to the profession of nursing. It is not an MSN degree. An MSN is an advanced nursing degree and the MEPN program is an entry level nursing degree program."

So basically, U of A does not consider their degree an MSN.

I do not know about sponsorship.

I am very curious to know how students feel about the education they received from the MEPN program and if having a MS with an emphasis in the entry to the profession of nursing (instead of an MSN) made it difficult to find jobs after graduating or progressing further in the field of nursing, like becoming an NP??

@bruins1990

I was also accepted at the Tucson campus.

I have done a lot of research on the program and may be able to answer a few of your questions.

The school arranges the clinical a for the students and I believe we would get a total of 1,000 hours (this info is based off U of A's application workshop PowerPoint I found online)

I emailed the CON after my acceptance to ask about the degree awarded and the response was:

"Graduates of the MEPN program receive a Master’s of Science degree with an emphasis in entry to the profession of nursing. It is not an MSN degree. An MSN is an advanced nursing degree and the MEPN program is an entry level nursing degree program."

So basically, U of A does not consider their degree an MSN.

I do not know about sponsorship.

Thank you for the help!

I read this entire thread and there were so many consistent negative remarks regarding the MEPN program from graduates that I am slightly stressed out right now. Before, I felt good about the program until I got here.

I'm slightly confused about the difference (when it comes to looking for jobs and whatnot after graduation) between this entry program in which you graduate with a Master's of Science degree with an emphasis in entry to the profession or nursing (not MSN) and other entry programs that offers an MSN (e.g. UCLA has a entry program called MSN/MECN for people with a B.S. in any other field besides nursing. UCLA's website directly said that upon graduation "You will graduate with a Master of Science in Nursing degree". The main difference with UCLA's program is that you have the opportunity to take an examination for certification as a Clinical Nurse Leader).

Bottom line is, I'm just so stressed and confused right now, and want to make sure that I'm getting my money's worth.

Thank you for the help!

I read this entire thread and there were so many consistent negative remarks regarding the MEPN program from graduates that I am slightly stressed out right now. Before, I felt good about the program until I got here.

I'm slightly confused about the difference (when it comes to looking for jobs and whatnot after graduation) between this entry program in which you graduate with a Master's of Science degree with an emphasis in entry to the profession or nursing (not MSN) and other entry programs that offers an MSN (e.g. UCLA has a entry program called MSN/MECN for people with a B.S. in any other field besides nursing. UCLA's website directly said that upon graduation "You will graduate with a Master of Science in Nursing degree". The main difference with UCLA's program is that you have the opportunity to take an examination for certification as a Clinical Nurse Leader).

Bottom line is, I'm just so stressed and confused right now, and want to make sure that I'm getting my money's worth.

What I have gatehered is that the difference with the MS-RN and an MSN is that an MSN implies some sort of specialty focus or advanced practice training. The curriculum required for a CNL which you should be able to see in the program you are referencing should be in some part focused on specializing in that area. My understanding is that with the MS-RN (which I will be beginning that program this summer) is not an MSN because it lacks that focus/specialization. It is broadly preparing you to practice as an RN, however your coursework is graduate level in terms of expectations and intensity. RN's who become MSN go back to school and are gaining the next level of training (beyond entry level) or are specializing in a subfield of nursing.

Hope that helps!