adamva

I'm planning to apply next year to NOVA's FNP program and I would absolutely love any feedback or information that any of you have. Its not been that easy to get anything out the school. you can email me @ [email protected] Thanks!

PM me your email. I don't use the site much so I can't PM

I've looked into quite a few NP programs, both online and brick and mortar. Most seem to be about 6 semesters when going full-time. For example I hope to start next fall so my schedule would look like: Fall `13, spring `14, summer `14, fall `14, spring `15, and graduate the summer of 2015.

The best advice I can give you is to have a different resume and/or cover letter for each different position applied for. This can be difficult with the online application process for hospitals because sometimes they will only let you upload one resume, they will typically let you assign a different cover letter for each position you apply for though. I think for a new grad a cover letter is definitely important because your resume can't stand on its own as easily as an experienced nurse(no offense). Adding an objective is pointless, noone reads them. Once you have taken an ACLS course you can definitely add that under licensing. If you are asking is there a place you could add that you are planning an acls course I would say no, perhaps if you have scheduled a course and have a date that you can include then you could list it under your licensing tab... but it would likely appear awkward at best. When it comes to including clinical experience from school, I would definitely include what is pertinent to the job I was applying for. If you are looking for an ICU position they probably don't care about hours spent working with a school nurse or in a psych hospital, you should definitely place relevant clinical experience at the top and put the unrelated clinical experience lower on the list just for visual fluff. You're a new grad, you don't want your resume/cover letter to look like every other new grad's does. Think about what makes you different from the average new ADN/BSN grad. Your cover letter should definitely mention that you have two bachelors degrees, and as a general rule on your resume your most recent degree/the degree more relevant to your field should be placed first on the list. Speaking korean is more of an asset if there is a large korean population where you live but it should definitely be listed either way. Once you do have that first year or so of experience, don't be afraid to start from scratch with a brand new resume. When I looked for my second job as a nurse my "new grad" resume just didn't cut it and couldn't really be transformed into something that resembled the nurse I am today, I didn't even keep the same format. I can send you a copy of my newer resume if you want some inspiration.

According to the Nursing director at MCI NN, the school will have final word by April about NLNAC accreditation. But a friend of mine who is a charge nurse at sentara careplex told me yesterday he heard MCI was accredited now or that they passed the january review, he wasn't quite sure so who knows. As far as transferring credits to ODU from MCI. Once you have completed the MCI RN program you can go to ODU for your BSN and all the classes you take at MCI will count at ODU except for chemistry. However A&P 1 and 2, microbiology, eng, sociology, psychology etc all transfer. But to start the ODU RN to BSN you will have to take CHM 101 & 102, statistics, a fine arts class, a literature class, and a history class. You will also need a foreign language unless you took 3 years of it in high school. This is all what they told me at ODU when they reviewed my transcripts. As far as nursing jobs in the area go, noone I know has had a problem finding a job. I've known grads that worked for sentara, riverside, bon secours, naval hospital portsmouth etc. MCI grads seem to get the same starting wages as other grads. Also the naval hospital and the air force hospital both don't care about nlnac, however the VA hospital won't hire unless u are a nlnac grad.

I'm a 23 year old veteran that is currently attending MCI in Newport News. I can't speak for the rest of the nation but here in Hampton Roads the diploma vs ADN probably won't be an issue. The NLNAC accredidation probably won't be an issue either. I say that because as long as you pass your NCLEX and get your license most colleges will base the credits they award you on your license, not your diploma/degree or the accredidation of your school. I know this is the case for ODU's BSN program and every other school I have looked at for a BSN program. MCI is great for some but not for all. It is very fast paced. You will go through classes 3X FASTER than other colleges do. You will still get taught and tested on the same stuff. But you will do it 3 times faster. That is one thing that I love about the school. I don't get as much time to get bored with a class as I did at other schools. But that pace doesn't fit everyone's learning style. I'm not saying that if you can't do it that fast that you are dumb. I just mean that having classes that are that fast paced can stress people out faster and burn them out more quickly. @ MCI you will be in class alot, its like working a full time job. You won't get much time off. We get occasional holidays off and we get 2 weeks for Christmas. Other than that we are in school year round. MCI is great in the respect that you get done FAST. I mean really really fast. At MCI you can go from start to finish in 16 months... most people have at least 1 month of prereq's and then 15 months for the program. If you go to Riverside you are gonna have to take alot of prerequisite courses before you actually start the program. Time was the deciding factor for me. If you attend Riverside the program takes 2 or 3 years(for night classes) after taking at the very least 1 year of prerequisite courses. And of course Riverside only starts classes twice a year and you have to have a certain amount of your prerequisites done to be able to apply early enough to get in. It also pretty competitive and they don't take many students. MCI takes 60 students 4 times a year so your chances of getting in are twice as good. I do agree that the price for the school is ridiculous. It was $33,800 when I started in Sept 08. Now I think it is like $40k or something. There are two ways you can look at the price. Either its just too damn much money for an associates degree or its worth is because you get to start working as a nurse 2+ years earlier(since you wanna do nights). Honestly I don't know if I would have done it if I didn't have the GI Bill to help pay for school but every one has to decide if its worth the money for themselves. In case you are wondering MCI does have a really high NCLEX pass rate (88% I think) but there are also alot of people that drop out. Your class will start with 30 but graduating classes are usually 10-20 graduates. Its not for everybody and if you can't make it to class or clinicals on time they will FAIL you because the courses are attendance based. If you are willing to work really hard for 15 months then go for it and I hope to see you at school soon. Whether you go to MCI or somewhere else, good Luck in whatever you do, Adam [email protected]