aggiepack177

Congrats to all of you who got in!! For those of you who have been accepted, would you guys mind giving a background of yourselves just so the rest of can get an idea of the people USF is accepting. Things like GPA, work experience, degrees, or anything else that you think made you stand out. I have a hunch I do not have enough clinical experience for this type of program so I'm really interested to see if that may be true. Thank you to those of you who feel comfortable sharing! For those of you still waiting to hear back, hang in there and good luck! =]

I have read from various forums that a MS in clinical research doesn't always translate to Job security. With the economy the way it is, one of the many factors influencing my choice to pursue the nursing track is the job security. If for some reason I don't like research, I know I have a wide array of options in the health field as a nurse. I would just love to find a nursing program that focuses on clinical research. But I suppose the field is still so young that either fields have yet to catch up. I do have a degree in Psych, which is why I am treading cautiously with this decision. I absolutely agree that I'll definitely have to do some ladder climbing, I just hope to cut the climb half. Have you ever considered other positions outside of a research nurse? If so, what else is would you be qualified for? Thanks so much for the feedback!

ShayRN, Thank you for your response. Are you currently in the research field or is it your friend who is currently in the field? I ask because I wonder if you might expand on exactly what type of "advancements" are available outside of research nursing. I fear that I am analyzing this whole thing to death and stressing myself out for nothing!

Did any of the nurses here attend a nursing program that actually specialized in some kind of research skills? Also thanks all for the feedback, was definitely useful! I am trying to decide if going through with an Entry level MSN program would be advantageous to my career goal in research. Would love to find any ABSN or ELMSN program that specializes in research if anyone knows of any.

I am currently weighing the difficult decision of attending a entry level MSN program in order to pursue research. Difficult, simply because of the cost. I have a bit of experience in the field and currently am qualified to be a CRC, as I have sent out my resume to a handful of sites around the bay area and have received call backs. But I changed my mind because I am figuring, why spend 3-7 years climbing the research ladder from CRC > CRA > CRA II-IV > Sr CRA > PM. Ultimately I see myself in some sort of administrative role and not a research nurse for the length of my career. So my question is, for any nurses who read this forum who are employed in a Project Management or Director position in the pharmaceutical field, was it necessary to get your MSN/BSN? Although many people hate the idea of money playing such a factor in these types of decisions, I would hate to be indebted pursuing an MSN when I could have achieved the same position without the degree.

for those of you who have been accepted, could you just give a run down of your cum gpa, pre req gpa, and other pertinent info that you think may have contributed to your acceptance? I'm 3 pre-reqs away from applying and would like to know what my chances are. BTW, a big congrats to all of you

so if i do go the ELSMN route am i eligible to sit for the nclex after the first year? does anyone know what the price differences are for ELSMN and the ABSN? thanks again for the input!

Thanks for the great feedback guys! I want to get my degree in Psycho-Bio because I ultimately want to pursue a career in Psych. I figure that nursing is a great stepping stool to get to where I want and by the time I finish the ABSN program, I'll already have a foundation for a Psych career with my degree as well as as a nursing degree. What I see most people do is that they pursue nursing to use as a stepping stone and they get stuck with that not being able to do what what they wanted to do in the first place. Don't get me wrong I'm pursuing nursing not just for its financial benefits but for the experience because I look forward to becoming a psych nurse and making a difference that way. If I dropped out of university now and back to a cc, it would probably take me 1 year to finish my nursing pre-reqs ( i have 4 sciences to go and human dev & inter com) then 2 years to get an ADN, if I wanted a BSN it would take 2-3 years right? so just to get the ADN it would already take 3 years or so which would be the same amount of time I could get a regular degree (I am a junior now and should finish in 2 yrs) and the ABSN (which I understand is about 1 yr). I just did a lil more research with the ELMSN program and that takes about 2 years. So at least if I am successfull in my nursing pursuit I would have a regular BA and either a BSN or MSN depending on which program I choose, right? jennafezz, could you explain a little more about the ELMSN programs (anyone from samuel merritt care to give a little insight?) and the difference between an ABSN program? How much longer is it? What are the requirements? Ah thank you so much for the replies, this is so much more productive than sifting through google searches

I just transfered to UCD from a CC and start my first quarter this fall and I have been really interested in pursuing a career in nursing. After months of research I think the best pathway for me is to go into one of Samuel Merritts ABSN programs but am a little unsure as to what the process is like, so hopefully those who have finished or are currently enrolled could give some much needed insight. What major can better prepare you for an ABSN program? I've read that there are prereqs for the ABSN program, if so what? What is the application process like? What else, other than GPA, is put into consideration for admission?