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Have you thought about maybe trying to shadow at the smaller hospital closer to your home? It would be a shame if you left your current job and then realized after the fact that what you really want is a big ER experience. At least then you'll be able to weigh all your options before you make the big decision...

I did the Hurst Review to study for the NCLEX - Marlene Hurst is the best and her program is awesome. It refreshes you on the topics covered on the test while teaching the critical thinking skills you'll need to apply your knowledge. Marlene really teaches things in a way that is simple and easy; concepts I had trouble with throughout nursing school were so much easier to understand. You can sign up for classroom sessions or an online review...the online review gives you access to a bunch of video lectures and notes that you print beforehand and fill in as you go. You have unlimited access for 90 days, and really this is more than plenty of time. Although it costs $300, it has a 98% first-time pass rate and it is definitely worth it. I passed on the first time with only 75 questions and I still refer to my book of "notes" on occasion at work :) http://www.hurstreview.com/

Yes, you get paid the same RN salary as any other new graduate when you begin working full-time. The program doesn't have anything to do with that. After completing Phase I it is your responsibility to apply to hospital postings in your area, interview, and be offered a position. I'm not sure what grades are "required" for prereqs, but I think they generally expect As and Bs, with preference for those that have mostly As. As far as the fees, you can find a detailed breakdown of the cost of attendance on the ECU Registrar page. I believe the estimated cost of attendance for the 2008-2009 academic year (only the fall and spring) was about $16,000, and that included not only the tuition and fees, but also money for living expenses since you can't work.

Hi cdcd, I am currently in Phase I of the program and thought I might be able to shed some light on your questions... Yes, the MSN portion of the program (Phase II) requires 1 year of RN experience before starting any specialty classes. The way the program is designed, you begin working full-time as an RN once you complete Phase I in August. While working full-time, you spend a year taking all the core courses required for all master's specialties (like research, etc.) on a part-time basis online. Therefore, once you have completed the experience requirement, you've gotten all the general classes out of the way and you can begin all your specialized classes in the concentration of your choice. You can continue to take your master's concentration courses on a part-time basis while working (85% of students choose to do this), or you can at that time change to full-time student status to complete the rest of the program. As far as the GRE goes, you must have taken the exam and have your scores in hand when you apply to the AE-MSN program from the beginning. They don't require that you submit them again when you begin Phase II. I think the program requires that you have at least a 1000 GRE score. Hope that is helpful!

Spygirl - that is great, what is your number now? Suhija - I tried sending you a PM but it told me that you have "exceeded the stored private messages quota and can not accept further messages until space is cleared". Delete some stuff and then I'll try and resend :nuke:

Enzo - I am definitely interested in scoping out some apartments with you guys! I think it would be really great to share an apartment with someone/a few others from the program and think it would be good to meet and see if it is something that might work. Let me know a weekend you are free and we can try and plan something :)

Everyone's moving up the list b/c I AM IN! :) I have been accepted to a direct-entry masters program too so now I have some decision-making to do!

I officially accepted at ECU today! I can't wait to meet you all! I talked to Erin today and she said that they are working to get something set up on their exchange website where the AE students can log in and meet their classmates, find roommates, etc. I can't wait to get our registration information and everything...I'm excited!

For everyone who is still waiting... I talked to Melissa yesterday and she said they haven't taken anyone from the waitlist since last Monday. I am still #2 in the running.

As of Monday I was #2 on the list, but I haven't heard anything since then. Let me know if you find out anything new from Melissa!

Enzo- Hope you had a great Easter! Thanks so much for your thoughts. I'm kinda thinking along the same lines as you are about the whole situation. I don't have too much first hand knowledge of RN work, but I've talked a lot with friends/family who are nurses or in the medical field, and researched it on the forum and I too think I am much more interested in advanced practice nursing. And I've been crunching the numbers recently and am amazed at the difference in cost between the two programs. I think the ABSN program at Duke (not including any masters work) costs on average about 50K, whereas I think ECU costs at most around 9K annually for full-time students (I'm not 100% sure what the cost is, but the website for the cashier's office listed graduate student tuition as 4.6K and the medical student tuition at around 9K annually, so I figure the most it would be is 9k). Dr. Schreier also gave me some email addresses of a few students who are currently in the program that I plan on contacting to see what they say about their experiences. It's great to hear that your friend was pleased with the program...what specialty did she choose to go into?

Enzo - You were correct about the CRNA program for AEMSN students. I talked to Dr. Schreier about it and she said that in order for an AE student to enter the CRNA program they must first complete the MSN in Clinical Nurse Specialist with a focus on critical care. That would give you 2 full years of practice in a critical care unit. Although it seems that I would spend at least 2 years getting icu experience regardless so I see what you mean...might as well get the extra degree in the same amount of time. Not a bad deal I guess. Also, did you guys get the email from Erin about getting a physical and ecu email and registration and stuff? It's crazy that she will be registering us for Fall classes next week! I don't even have to notify of my decision to accept until April 7th!

I just got an update from Melissa around 8am today that I am #2 on the list, so congrats austin! I hope to be joining you in the "accepted" group soon!

Hey all- Just wanted to let you know that Melissa is out of the office today and so we won't be hearing anything until at least Monday. Have a good Easter holiday!

I know what you mean! This whole waiting thing is the pits!