sesw1

For some of the assignments, groups are assigned, and others you can choose. I didn't have any horrible experiences with my groups. It's important to remember that each cohort is going to be different, and I can't speak to every student's experience.

I'm also a second semester student. We don't have any papers that are explicitly called 'research papers', but every writing assignment/presentation that you have in nursing school has to be backed by EBP (i.e., journals or textbooks). Unless they change anything around for Fall semester, you should only have a few 'big' writing assignments. The biggest one is your care plan, which takes a decent amount of time and is usually 12-20 pages depending on the student and the patient you choose to write about. If I recall correctly you only have 1 or 2 other essay assignments (>3 pages), and then decent amount of smaller writing assignments (1-2 pages) throughout the semester. You also have 2 written assignments that you do in a group of 6-10 people, one is 5 pages and the other is a case study, 30-35 pgs (it sounds daunting but it's not bad). Generally the first semester isn't bad. You have 6 classes, one of which is only a 6 week course that you have once a week (meaning you only have it for half the semester). 2 of your classes have a 'lab' component, foundations & health assessment, which is where you practice skills. You have class for a good chunk of the day most days, and clinical all day either Tuesday (first half of the alphabet) or Friday (second half of the alphabet). The professors give you a lot of materials to make sure you can succeed. My clinical instructor and lab instructors were really great and supportive in helping me build foundational skills and continue to be a great resource. I obviously can't speak to the rigor or lack thereof of an ABSN program, but I would choose JHU all over again if I had to ?

Unless you have a huge aversion to taking chemistry for the lab, I would go ahead and take it - especially if it will boost your GPA. A lot of programs that I'd applied to required it, and it'll reinforce some of the concepts of your nursing courses. Taking it can only open doors for you.

You shouldn't have to apply for Financial Aid before accepting your admission offer for JHU. If they offer you a scholarship, it seems that they usually call students within a week of them receiving their acceptance letter to notify them. I'm a current student in my first semester and I completed my FAFSA after committing. The Financial Aid Office is also a really great resource; they're super helpful with the process and will walk you through everything if you are confused at any point.

Is the Nov. 1 deadline application for both Summer and Fall cohorts or are there 2 separate applications? Asking for a friend of mine who is interested in starting ASAP. (I was recently admitted for Spring 19!)

I LOVED the heart and blood vessels unit, I find it absolutely fascinating. Is it both conceptual as well as practical? Do the obvious - ask your professor questions, look at animations online, and study as much as possible. The concepts are a little more tricky than some of the other sections of A&P, but I found that a lot of the things we learned could be easily related back to the things you see on medical dramas, which made it easy to remember. For the practical part, it's all just memorization. There are a lot of self-assessments online that you can use. My school's library actually had the models we used in class that you could check out for a couple of hours, which was also helpful. This may seem totally obvious, but I think the best way to learn both together is to be able to follow the blood flow from one specific chamber, through the entire body, and back into that same chamber. Start broadly and then narrow down. Then ask yourself specifics - eg, if a drop of blood starts in the left atrium, name everything it passes through until it reaches the inferior vena cava. If you practice it enough, you will learn the sequence very easily. There are also a few quizlet pages that have questions like this if I recall correctly.

Thank you guys for your input. I'm seeing a lot more pros to the MSN than I had previously thought of. It's all a lot to consider & I appreciate you weighing in!

I don't think direct entry MSN gives you a huge leg-up generally, but it really depends on your individual situation. Where I live, many of the ABSN programs are about as costly as direct entry MSN programs when you break it down monthly, but that may not be your situation. One of the schools that I applied to for ABSN told me that they don't acknowledge direct entry MSN credits, so continuing my education would be more difficult if I did a direct entry MSN. (I'm not sure if this is completely true or common, they could have just told me this to persuade me to apply to/enroll in the ABSN program.) I think if you are only taking a year off, I would go the ABSN route or even a traditional 2 year BSN. It seems like a long time right now, but cost-wise it will probably pay off in the long run. Take my advice with a grain of salt - I'm trying to decide between an ABSN program and entry level MSN program now, so I can't speak from experience. It's just kind of what I've gathered from my research.

I think it's going to really depend on the school. If you have a written component/statement of purpose, I would definitely acknowledge that moment in your life in some way, and incorporate an explanation for it if the prompt allows it - it may be a little awkward, but it will be worthwhile. Some schools also require or recommend tests (usually the TEAS), and I would absolutely take it in your situation, just to prove that you have that incentive to do well. Generally I think most schools are willing to somewhat overlook a poor cumulative if they see a trend towards improvement, a drive to succeed, and passion for the career. I would also reach out to the admissions office for whichever schools are on your radar, and see if you can discuss your admissions concerns with someone/go to an information session for the program. In my experience, they've actually been extremely helpful for navigating some of those anxieties in the application process.

I agree with the above posters that this experience really does need to be your own. I think you may be overthinking it. Take a step back and take out the words "healthcare experience" and just ask if you can apply these principles to ANY experience that has happened in your life. If it's something that has happened in a clinical setting, great. If not, then explain something that has happened outside of a clinical setting. Usually, with nursing admissions, they can tell when someone is just blowing smoke for an acceptance. If you don't have an experience because you haven't worked in healthcare, don't make something up that isn't genuine. They are asking you to explain something that speaks about you and your values, and why you want to be in the field. Good luck!

Thanks for weighing in - it's actually nice hearing from someone who's gone through a direct entry MSN that can kind of speak to the post-grad flexibility. Part of the reason I'm struggling a lot with the decision is that there aren't many ABSN programs directly near me, so I would have to move to attend one... making them cost almost the same as going to JHU since I am currently able to commute to campus at a much cheaper cost. I'm also maxed out for undergrad aid, so I would have to take out all private loans to cover everything. Did you find that it was difficult to find graduate programs that acknowledged your MSN credits? I've heard that some schools don't accept direct entry master's credits, but that doesn't seem right to me.

Love all of your feedback - extremely helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

I think maybe it would actually be worthwhile for you to do some more clinical hours. PA & NP are actually quite different, and you might benefit from seeing the different roles PAs, RNs, NPs, and many others play in the clinical field. I actually graduated from college with the same mindset - I was planning on going to PA school, but I needed more clinical hours. I started working at a doctor's office to get a year of experience, and actually found that I really liked nursing a lot more than PA. Now, I'm getting ready to start an entry-level MSN or ABSN program (still trying to decide!), but I feel a lot more comfortable with my decision to go into nursing, knowing that I've looked into all of the options. That being said, if you already have many of your pre-requisites done, are a good student, and have a strong health sciences background, I don't see any problem with doing an accelerated program. I would just make sure to look into both entry-level MSN and ABSN programs. The MSN programs usually aren't direct to NP, so just make sure you're really looking at what you're coming out with. Most are MSN programs that you would have to go on to take more classes to be able to sit for NP. A couple of them are CNL programs, and I've heard from some people around where I live that there aren't many CNL positions in hospitals, so they mostly do RN work anyways. If you choose to go the ABSN route, you would come out with a second bachelors, but they tend to be shorter and cheaper, and you have the option to work in the field before continuing school to get your MSN. Many schools also have a BSN to DNP program, so you can kind of skip the MSN altogether if you decide that you still want to become an NP. I hope this isn't coming off as rude in any way - I just see a lot of my younger self in your post, and I'm really trying to come from a good place. I wish you luck in whatever you decide!

There are a couple of these threads already but they're a little dated. I wanted to know what people who are experienced in the field feel about ABSN vs. direct entry MSN programs? I'm trying to decide between Hopkins direct entry MSN and 2 ABSN programs for the Spring. Hopkins is obviously expensive, but it may end up saving me money in the long term, since I want to go on to become an NP. Background: I am 26 years old with a BA in Biology from a state university. I have some clinical experience working as a medical assistant/orthopedic technician. I was originally leaning towards doing the ABSN because I really wanted to get experience in nursing before locking myself into working towards an FNP. One of the things that I really love about the field is the diverse roles nurses play, and I don't know if I should start a master's program without knowing what I want to do as a nurse. Any input is welcome!

I got in! Got my e-mail around 5:00p today.