Any UCSF Mepn Applicants?

czyja, MSN, RN · Jan 2, 2008

my point is, yes you should apply as long as you have the minimum.

You bet! I am glad you made the first cut and I wish you well on your interviews.

I don't think its "old" at all. It is pretty easy to get discouraged on this forum and at the risk of sounding Pollyanna-ish I think everybody who wants to go should get over themselves and apply.

Happy New Year!

MorePlease · Jan 2, 2008

Phew,
Is anyone else interviewing at a clinic outside the campus for their second one?
Hope all is well with everyone. Happy New Year, and be safe.
Star

I have an interview at Valencia Health Services on the 31st.

JenniferMPH · Jan 3, 2008

Hi there,
I am heading out there on the 25th for the midwifery specialty as well.
Do you have a second interview date? And are you in the bay area?

Hi Sheilanagig,

I don't have a second interview date...are we supposed to?

My letter says that there will be two interviews on the day that I am there - one focusing on nursing in general, and the other on midwifery.

I am not in the Bay Area anymore. I am flying down from Portland. But, I just finished my masters at Berkeley in May, so I know the area pretty well. What about you?

MorePlease · Jan 3, 2008

I don't have a second interview date...are we supposed to?
My letter says that there will be two interviews on the day that I am there - one focusing on nursing in general, and the other on midwifery.

I believe that out of towners have both interviews on the same day, to make your travels easier. Congrats on the interview :-)

sheilanagig · Jan 3, 2008

Hi Sheilanagig,
I don't have a second interview date...are we supposed to?
My letter says that there will be two interviews on the day that I am there - one focusing on nursing in general, and the other on midwifery.
I am not in the Bay Area anymore. I am flying down from Portland. But, I just finished my masters at Berkeley in May, so I know the area pretty well. What about you?

Hi Jennifer,

I believe all out of towners get one interview day and they pack it in for your convenience. My second one is a week later, I believe my Midwifery interview is on the 25th and the general is on the 29th.

I am local, we moved out here from the east coast (New Haven CT) about two years ago....Tried to find housing and schools for our girls in Berkeley and/or SF proper but lost patience with the public school lottery and ended up on the Peninsula. Found a great neighborhood school and are loving it out here. How is Portland?

Nice to chat with someone else who applied for the same specialty,

Sheilanagig

gNATTY · Jan 5, 2008

:cheers::w00t:

Hi all. I just wanted to extend a hearty virtual high-five to all of you that made it to the interview. It's a daunting process, but if you are passionate and honest about your desire and intentions to be a nurse, then you have nothing to worry about.

I am currently in my first year of the MEPN program in the Critical Care CNS specialty. I love it. It's madness and chaotic sometimes, but nursing is a wonderful profession that I feel honored to be a part of. I'm pretty busy these days with 12 hour clinical rotations, classes, and studying, but I've manged to write a bit about the program and my place in it. Take a gander if you wish. I thought I would share with this site because I definitely remember being in your place last year.

http://oneyearnurse.blogspot.com/

Again, good luck on interview day!

~gNAT

PS Acceptance/Rejection Letters came out at the beginning of march last year and were in equally "thin" envelopes.

czyja, MSN, RN · Jan 5, 2008

I thought I would share with this site because I definitely remember being in your place last year.
http://oneyearnurse.blogspot.com/
Great blog! Thank you for sharing it with us. I am also a man and applying to the Critical Care/Trauma Nursing program so I read your experiences with great interest.

sheilanagig · Jan 6, 2008

Thank you gNat for the virtual high five. You have added some excellent encouragement and positivity to this thread. I read your blog entry thawing out and drying after a morning at our local abortion clinic --I am an outside escort. You are certainly honest and insightful, not always attributes that come so gracefully to men on this issue. Props.

healthmatters · Jan 7, 2008

I am brand new to this blog, but have spent all morning reading it, some interesting and helpful things, although i do not know if it has given me more encouragement and inspiration to read about all of the qualified and amazing applicants or if I am only more nervous. I am hoping that someone who has gone through the interview process before or who is a current MEPN applicant could help me out with some questions or at least help give me an idea if i stand a chance.

my stats: ACNP applicant (1st time) graduated from berkeley in history with a 3.69 GPA, gre scores for both V and Q were in the mid 500's and my writing score was 5.5. I have A's in all pre req course work. I have volunteered abroad in both Guatemala and Bolivia doing health care related activities, more Public health based though. I also worked with Hesperian Foundation on the Women's health exchange for over 2 years and I volunteered for over 1 year at Planned Parenthood in Oakland in the abortion clinic having direct patient care and i have shadowed in the ER at UCSF, Highland hospital in Oakland and UCSF in Fresno. I did an undergraduate thesis that involved interviewing undocumented immigrants in Spanish so my Spanish used to be really good but i have not had much opportunity to practice in the last couple of years. Do you know if part of the interview is in Spanish and if so what kind of questions do they ask? I don't know if they take other things such as economic/racial background into account, do any of you?

I did get invited to interview on the 18th and 28th in Stanford and am so nervous. I look forward to meeting some of you, it sounds like it is a really accomplished and amazing bunch. Best of luck to you all.

star77, MSN, RN · Jan 8, 2008

Sheilanagig, Healthmatters. High Fives to you.

I work at PP right now, and although my clinic doesn't do ABs, I've been an escort for other folks at the clinic that does ABs. Right on. Thanks for protecting our rights. :up:

In any case... Healthmatters, I was wondering the same thing. I consider myself fluent in Spanish (I used to be a river guide in Oaxaca - now I just guide in the sierras), and I do patient histories/translate during exams for clinicians... but occasionally I find a vocabulary word that I fail on (like band-aids, I ALWAYS forget the Spanish word for band-aids).

I'm comfortable talking with people in Spanish, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have at least part of an interview in that language. I checked out one of my interview sites, and all the clincians are bilingual. Hmm. Any current students/past interviewees want to comment?

It's something I'm curious about as well...

healthmatters · Jan 8, 2008

hi star77

How did you find out about the clinicians at the site for one of your interviews. We both are applying for the ACNP program so I assume that your second interview is on the 28th in Stanford. I saw on one of your posts that you learned from your experience in the clinic that you did not want to be a FNP, and i had a very similar experience. When i started volunteering at PP in the ab clinic i had intentions of applying to the FNP program and learned that it was not for me and that Emergency medicine was much more up my alley. anyhow i look forward to meeting you, it sounds like you have a lot going for you, you have done some awesome work, congrats and thanks!! I will let you know if i find anything out about spanish part of the interview.

star77, MSN, RN · Jan 8, 2008

hi star77
How did you find out about the clinicians at the site for one of your interviews. We both are applying for the ACNP program so I assume that your second interview is on the 28th in Stanford. I saw on one of your posts that you learned from your experience in the clinic that you did not want to be a FNP, and i had a very similar experience. When i started volunteering at PP in the ab clinic i had intentions of applying to the FNP program and learned that it was not for me and that Emergency medicine was much more up my alley. anyhow i look forward to meeting you, it sounds like you have a lot going for you, you have done some awesome work, congrats and thanks!! I will let you know if i find anything out about spanish part of the interview.

Hey Healthmatters,

Actually my second interview is not at Stanford. It's at a clinic on Mission (the Valencia), and I just checked out the clinicians and the staff. Looks like a really cool clinic! If I were interviewing at Stanford, I'd say let's carpool! Your first interview is on the 18th? Mine is on the 25th. If you live in the city and want to grab a cup of coffee and just decompress at any point, let me know. It is really cool to see someone with such similar experiences. The FNPs I work with are the ones who talked to me about Acute Care, and said, "OMG you'd be perfect for it!" The more I investigated, the more I said, "You know, they're right. That specialty is exactly what I want..."

I'm off to work now, speaking of clinics and clinicians. I had such a rad morning already - a barista at Peets gave me a free cup of coffee. Yay! The sky is ominous and dark again today... but that means (up high at least) snow....