OlyNP2b 44 Posts Specializes in Critical Care, Hospice and Palliative Care. Has 8 years experience. Aug 22, 2008 Hi JuJu_Bean,After much much thought and consideration I decided to earn an ADN through SPSCC down here in Olympia. So how do you like PLU's program so far? Congrats on completion of your first quarter, I look forward to hearing about your future academic adventures! Good luck!
josephine8 1 Post Jun 17, 2009 One thing to consider about the PLU ELMSN program - you enter as a generalist in the Masters of Nursing program. You do not get placed into your specific concentration (Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, etc) until you are already a year and a half into the program. TThis is different from most ELM programs and can be confusing for the uninitiated. There is the chance that you may not get into the concentration you want. Because the ELM programs are special "cohort" programs, it is more difficult to transfer credits to another university than a traditional program should you decide to leave early because you did not get into the concentration you were interested in. Furthermore, if you leave the program early, you may not be able to keep your hard-earned RN license. This can sort of trap a student into the full three years. In the past, the Nurse Practitioner concentration has had fewer available slots than students interested in that program. The entire program costs around $60,000 - very expensive if you end up with a concentration you did not really want. If you know you want to be a Nurse Practitioner, I suggest applying to a program that accepts students directly into the NP program rather than take the chance with PLU. The admission process may change so I would check with the office. But remember, whatever you sign on the contract is what you will be held to - not what the admission advisor tells you about the program. Get everything in writing. Good luck! It is nice to have smart people with different backgrounds entering healthcare.
cjlbnp 17 Posts Feb 25, 2010 I have a few more questions on the elmsn progra at plu. I wanted to know more if the fall and spring semester grades of my senior year would be equated in the gpa requirement, as the grades for the fall semester aren’t available until mid-January of my senior year which is after the application due date. Therefore, only my spring of junior grades is equated in the gpa during the submission of the application. Also if students at this point are borderline of receiving a 3.0 gpa, would you accept a student but on a condition basis that they do fulfill a 3.0 gpa at the end of their graduation? And does the admission look at the level of courses taken in the undergraduate work if the gpa is not in the upper percentile? Do they also consider other factors in determining admission? Lastly, are there any cases of students reapplying to the program and getting submitted? Do you recommend to continually reapply? What grades should you get on your pre-reqs?Also, your experiences with the program in terms of being prepared for the NCLEX exam and surviving the course/work load. Also if you have any other suggestions? How was the interview process? How do you prepare for this? Who should write your letters of recommendations? Do you recommend shadowing a nurse practitioner? Please feel free to respond. Thank you.
amberlightsgirl 27 Posts Feb 26, 2010 I did not end up applying to this program but I do know the general trend for this school as well as other entry level Master's in Nursing. First of all, you should definitely job shadow a nurse/ nurse practitioner. It helps you know the environment in which you will be working and you will write about your health care experience in one of the essays for application. The more experience going into a program like this the better you look as an applicant. if you can and have time, even try to get a job in healthcare. Secondly, generally your grades for the pre-req courses need to be competitive. If you don't get above a 3.0 in anatomy, microbiology, nutrition, you should re-take them. I spoke with an advisor on the phone about this program, it just depends where you got your degree, if you got your degree from UW they will consider your GPA differently because it is a harder school. I do think they make exceptions, based on where your degree is from. One thing you could do, if you feel your GPA is not representative of your abilities.....is write a letter explaining why. You also have to take the GRE for this program and I suggest you take it more than once. Your letters should be from someone who knows you academically as well as personally. Hope this helps!
KFoss 54 Posts Jan 28, 2011 How is this program going for those that ended up choosing PLU? Are you almost done with it?
