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I am a former UMB student and I frequently took the train instead of spending a fortune on parking (and gas!). Both the Metro Subway and Lightrail have stops that are relatively close to UMB. One way ticket is $1.60, round trip $3.20. The parking office at UMB sells monthly passes for the MTA at a reduced rate as well. Best of luck to you.

When I entered the program, the admissions process did not include an interview. However, I have heard that they ask standard questions like why you want to be a nurse, etc. I also heard that they ask you to complete a brief writing sample as part of the interview process. Best of luck!

Good points. I thought that 60 was the minimum MAP to keep organs perfused, so anything below that and things start going down hill. Figured it would be better to be proactive and hydrate before this point, but hadn't considered overcompensating. Thanks for the input.

I am currently working as a student nurse/tech on a SICU at a busy teaching hospital. Was told that patients on the unit should maintain a MAP of at least 60 or above in order to maintain optimal organ perfusion. Wondering why nurses have to wait until the MAP falls to 60 before treating the patient. Doesn't it make sense to start bolusing the patient with fluids as soon as the MAP starts trending down? Is this standard practice or unit specific?

Greetings future CNLs! I am a current CNL student (will be graduating in May!). Nursing school has been an intense, but amazing journey! Please feel free to ask me any questions about the program.

Again, I highly encourage you to contact HR for the most accurate, up-to-date information.

I am a current CNL student at UMB. I would direct you to the AACN's website for an in-depth explanation of the CNL role: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl/index.htm The CNL program at UMB is unique in that it is an entry level master's program. Most CNL programs require that applicants already hold an RN license before entering the program. However, the CNL program at UMB educates individuals to function as staff nurses with the opportunity for climbing the administrative ladder after gaining some bedside experience. As far as gaining an advantage for becoming an NP, the CNL program provides extra emphasis on critical thinking and evidence based practice. CNL students at UMB take all theory courses at the graduate level with other NP and CNS students. So yes, the CNL role is different than the NP role, but the CNL program will provide you with extra training to begin THINKING like a NP. Hope this helps!

Hi Folks! I am a current CNL student at the Baltimore campus. If anyone has questions about this program, please do not hesitate to ask! Best of luck to you all during the admissions process!

I believe $15 is without shift differentials, but I would verify that with HR.

Hi Meadow Brook! First off, congratulations on your acceptance! :yeah: 1. Yes, all classes are held in the main SON building on West Lombard. 2. During the first semester, you are mainly doing didactic work. This includes tests, quizzes, and papers. You will also have a significant clinical simulation portion during the first semester. This means that you will be spending a lot of "spare" time outside of class in open lab practicing your clinical skills. You also have a short four week clinical rotation in a long term care facility during the last month of the first semester. I am not going to lie. First semester can be intense at times. You will be learning a new language and you will have to start thinking like a nurse. This alone can be a huge learning curve. However, I must say that when I finished my first semester, it was a very rewarding experience to look back at how much I had learned during those few short months. 3. Reading/study materials is a very personal preference. Some students (visual learners) like to read the textbooks in depth and others manage to do well without this reinforcement. All of the lectures are pod-casted and posted online, so some students (auditory learners) like to listen to the lectures again to reinforce the material that way instead. It's up to you. 4. Again, this is a difficult question to answer. Some people find pathopharm (NURS 501) the hardest, while others find fundies (NURS 505) to be more difficult. I will be honest and say that pathopharm is a ton of memorization (like 700 slides on one exam memorization!!!) and fundies is geared more toward nurse reasoning and logic. Hope this helped. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions. During your orientation in August, there will be a panel of current CNL students. There will be a Q & A session with these CNLs that lasts about an hour and any question you may have is fair game.

I am currently in an MS/CNL program with no prior clinical nursing experience. Yes, I will be competing with all other new ADN and BSN grads when I graduate to get my first job as a staff nurse. New grads are new grads any way you slice it. However, CNLs have the ability to climb the administrative ladder much faster than ADN or BSN prepared RNs only because they have the extra MS credential. In my program we take all of the core nursing courses with the BSN students. (Classes such as fundamentals of nursing, med-surg, health assessment, pathopharmacology etc.) In these courses, CNL students are required to write extra papers or complete extra assignments that specifically examine our leadership role in the health care system. On the other hand, we take all of the theory courses with other MS students (NP, CNS, CRNA). For example, I took the graduate level research class this past semester, and if I do decide to pursue an advanced practice degree in the future, I will test out of this class. In addition, CNL students have classes built in throughout the program that are specific to the CNL role. If anyone is interested in learning more about the CNL role, I recommend visiting the AACN's website and reading the White Paper on the Education and Role of the CNL. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/WhitePapers/ClinicalNurseLeader07.pdf http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl/pdf/Brochure.pdf

BTW, Pharmacology for Nursing Care (Richard Lehne) is one of the best (if not the best) textbooks that I have come across. The author is very skilled at breaking down difficult concepts and making them easy to understand. Definitely worth the money!

I heard through the grape vine that Franklin Square is planning to hire 50 new grads in the near future.

My status finally changed from "committee ready" to "wait listed" in mid-May. Keeping my fingers crossed for all of you who have not heard anything yet!

If I may, I would like to reiterate Grey Lady's point. I was wait listed last fall and I was already making alternative plans for the semester. A week before school started, I was notified that a spot had become available (I was notified on a Friday, orientation was the following Wednesday and Thursday, and classes began on Monday). I know of two other people in my cohort who were wait listed and were offered spots a week before school as well. So there is definitely still hope for those who have not heard anything yet. I know the wait can be excruciatingly nerve wracking, but try to hang in there.

UMMC pays $15/hour during the week and $18/hour on the weekends. I assume you are referring to a nursing assistant or patient care technician.

Hello, TC! I am currently in the CNL program at UMD. To answer your questions... 1. They can take a little while to get back to you with a decision. If I remember correctly, the deadline is Feb. 1 and they usually start sending out the first decisions toward the end of March, beginning of April. 2. "Complete Ready for Review" means that your application is complete and that it is ready to go to the admissions committee. It might change to "Committee Ready" between now and when you get an answer, but I would not worry if your status does not change. When you get accepted it should say "Admit Institution." I know that it can be tempting to check your status every couple of hours, but I would recommend limiting yourself to checking once a day so you don't drive yourself crazy... 3. The deposit was $400 and they apply it to your tuition for the first semester. Hope that helped. I would recommend looking in the MD nursing programs section. It looks like a UMB fall 2011 thread has already been started, and I am sure that there is some great info on there. Please let me know if you have any other questions about the program in general. I would be more than happy to answer them.

This is one of the best articles out there on ABGs. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7624703 ABG Article.pdf

If I were an MDA (hypothetically speaking, of course), why would I want to take "responsibility" for a CRNA who is not even in the same room as me???

Really interesting thread! I am an ESFJ, but I took the test when I was in high school (many, many moons ago). It would be interesting to take the test again and see if I have changed.

Not sure about the installment plans. I know tuition is due the first day of class and then they will charge you late fees after that. I know holds are placed on delinquent accounts, but I am not sure if they will kick you out of class. That seems kind of drastic to me. Here is the phone number for UMB student billing. Perhaps they can give you some answers on Monday. 410-706-2930

See Grey Lady's post regarding admit institution/accept applicant. OK here is the breakdown in terms of classes this semester. NURS 503: Health Assessment, 3 credits. Class meets Mondays 8 am - 11 am NURS 505: Intro to Professional Nursing Practice (AKA Fundamentals or Fundies), 4 credits. Class meets Tuesdays 8:30 am - 10:20 am NURS 507: Context of Healthcare delivery and Intro to the CNL role, 3 credits. Class meets Tuesdays 11 am - 2:00 pm NURS 501: Pathophysiology/Pharmacology, 5 credits. Class meets Fridays 8:30 - 11:00 and 12:30 - 3:00 NURS 622: Systems and Populations in Healthcare, 3 credits. This is an online class and you will only take it first semester if you are a 16 month student. Otherwise, you will take it later on in the program. Both NURS 503 and 505 have lab components, 2 hours for each class per week. The way it worked this semester is that you have lab either on Wednesday or Thursday. The day that you do not have lab is your day off. You usually spend your day off catching up on work/studying or you can spend that time in open lab. While I am on the topic of open lab, I must say that going to open lab will be critical to your success this semester. I am sure you will hear more about this at orientation, but you are tested on your lab skills during a process called "validation." Basically you go into the simulation lab and you are given a scenario that asks you to perform certain clinical skills (wound care, injections, IVs, foleys, etc.). You are then videotaped as you perform the skills. Your instructor will watch back your video and then grade your performance accordingly. Open lab is a necessity since you do not have adequate time during the scheduled lab sessions to properly learn all the skills and become proficient in performing the skills. NURS 503, 505, and 501 are combined classes with both BSNs and CNLs. NURS 507 is a CNL only class. NURS 622 is an online class that all graduate students take, so it is possible that you may have NP and CNS students in your section as well as other CNLs. NURS 507 has 2 papers and a midterm. Not sure how many papers NURS 622 requires, but I know my 16 month friends just finished writing an extensive paper for that class. NURS 501 has a 10 page case study that the BSNs are not required to complete. NURS 505 has a short CNL leadership paper at the end of the semester. NURS 503 does not have any extra papers. Generally, you will be writing a lot of papers throughout the course of the entire program. In addition to the extra papers, CNLs are held to a general higher standard than the BSNs. For example, CNLs are required to have an 80% average to pass each class. I think BSNs only need a 70%. This is just one thing that I can think of right now. Try to buy used textbooks online. I know that there are a lot of required books, but you will definitely use them this semester and in subsequent semesters. It is well worth the investment. I bought my books on Amazon, only because I have a prime student membership. I am sure Ebay/Half.com has good prices on books as well. You only have clinicals for NURS 505 during the first semester. You don't start clinicals until the beginning/mid-November and you only have 4 clinical days (8 hours each day). There are approximately 50 first semester CNLs and I think about 80-90 BSNs (not sure about the BSN stat). Hope I covered all of your questions!

Hi cookiemonstress! I am not sure about the scholarship. I would think that you would be eligible because by the time the deadline rolls around you will already have started the semester. I think it is still worth a shot. As for the credit load, I am taking 15 credits this semester. I am not working and school is like a full time job. Your first semester is a heavy didactic load. You are in class most of the morning and you spend most of the afternoon/evening studying or spending time in open lab. The key is staying on top of your studying and doing it in bite sized pieces. Another big thing is you have to remember to carve out some time for yourself! I do have friends who are doing the 18 credits and they somehow manage to get everything done. I am not sure when they sleep, though... I am not sure about the commute from DC. One option may be to take the Marc train from D.C. into Penn station and then take the lightrail from Penn to school. I am not familiar with D.C. mass transit so you may have to do some research. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

congrats on your acceptance! i am finishing up my first semester as a cnl student and you are in for a crazy, but very fun ride! very good guess! you can go to this link for more detailed information, but i will give you a quick and easy breakdown. http://www.fincsvc.umaryland.edu/sa/images/nurs.pdf my numbers are based on 15 credits (maryland resident). if you are a 21/23 month student you will be taking 15 credits during your first semester. if you are a 16 month student, you will be taking an additional 3 credits, bringing you up to a total of 18. tuition: $7,599.50 registration fees: $1,278.00 health insurance: $1,233.00 (this fee can be waived if you provide proof that you have private coverage). grand total: $10,110.50 also, here is a link to the aacn scholarship. the son just sent out an email about this last week, so i figured i would let you know. the next deadline is jan. 31. http://www.aftercollege.com/content/article/aftercollege_aacn_scholarship/

I recommend buying scrubs from Wal Mart as well. I bought my white scrub tops there. I think they were around $12 and so far they have washed really well. You may want to consider buying online since the sizing in stores can be limited.